A Living Ghost: Divided Spirit
by MoonMaiden7241969
Summary: Straddling the boarder of life and death, Leonardo discovers new abilities he never would've thought himself capable of. While held captive within the dark bowels of the Shredder's lair, Leonardo makes a choice, a sacrifice, to end the fight once and for all. His family desperately tries to save him, but it's not the Shredder they need to rescue him from.
1. Prologue Chapter 1

_~ Author's Note._

 _Hello everyone! The time line for this fic is set for sometime after the 15th episode in season four. The first three chapters are the prologue, mostly Karai/Miwa centered. After that the story is predominately about Leo._

 _There are some old sayings in Japanese used in this chapter. The translations are at the bottom._

* * *

Home Again

Chapter One

* * *

It was late. Waking from a short, restless sleep, Leonardo sat up in his bed, smelling a faint scent of tea and burning candles. Slowly, he got up and stretched his muscles.

" _I guess sensei is still up,_ " he thought, glancing at the alarm clock.

It read 3am in bright red letters. Splinter was usually the last one to go to bed, but it was strange for him to still be up this late. Curious, Leonardo followed his nose to the dojo.

Splinter was sitting at his small tea table, with few lit candles around his old tea set and a picture frame. Even from looking at the backside of it, Leonardo recognized which one it was. It was the family picture taken shortly after Miwa's birth. Splinter was staring at it expressionlessly, tea cup in hand.

"Are you alright, sensei?" Leonardo asked while entering the room.

It was a rare sight to see his father startled. This was the second red flag. Something was definitely wrong.

"Leonardo," he mumbled, recovering from the surprise. "You cannot sleep my son?"

Shaking his head, Leonardo asked, "What about you? Why are you still up sensei?" Splinter was silent at first, turning his eyes back to the picture. Leonardo made his way over and sat down opposite from his father. Pouring a second cup of tea, Splinter explained. "Miwa is heavy on my mind tonight." Leonardo held out his hands and Splinter placed the warm cup in them. The tea was deep steamed and sweet, something Splinter normally didn't make. This alone was cause for concern.

"Next week is her birthday," he sighed, refilling his own cup.

Instantly, Leonardo felt his father's heartache. He looked down at his cup with a frown, remembering how he had failed repeatedly to rescue Karai.

"How old will she be?" he asked, setting his cup aside.

Splinter turned the frame so that they could both see it. "It will be her seventeenth birthday..." A pause pricked his tongue, stalling him from finishing what he was going to say. Leaning in closer, Leonardo encouraged Splinter to go on. "It's okay to talk about her, sensei. I'd love to listen." His father looked up at him with a small smile, nodding.

"Tell me about the day she was born. How did you feel when you looked at her for the first time?"

The smile on his father's face grew large and genuine. "Besides her mother, she was the most beautiful thing that had ever come into my life. She was so small and delicate... When I took her in my arms, I wanted to hold her like that for the rest of my life." Leonardo could see Splinter traveling back in time, blissfully captured by one of his favorite memories. Smiling, Leonardo took a moment to soak in the happy aura filling the room, sipping on the good tea.

"How long did it take to come up with a name?" he asked.

Splinter chuckled. "As soon as we found out that she was a girl, it was decided. We named her after Tang Shen's grandmother. She was a wonderful woman. I'm glad she was able to see us married before her death."

Hearing Splinter talking about his past made Leonardo wish he'd talk about it more. This was one of the rare occasions he shared some of his history. Looking up from his cup, his smile fell. Splinter was sad again, staring off into space. Maybe the word "death" had brought back all those terrible memories. Maybe it was the thought of Tang Shen.

His eyes wandered to the family portrait, specifically to the woman next to his father. She was Splinter's wife. He had never really thought of her as more than that, but, in this tender moment between his father and himself, he began to wonder what it would be like to have a mother.

"I'll bet she was a wonderful mother," Leonardo thought aloud, not realizing he had.

"She was," Splinter replied, making him jump a bit. "Although it was only for a short time..."

Splinter sighed, letting his gaze fall on the candle closest to him. Watching the flame put off gray curling smoke, he said: "We did not have the chance to celebrate our daughter's first birthday. I've never seen her grow a day older since I lost them both." Inside his mind, he was going down a dark trail, leading back to the day Saki destroyed their lives. It was painful to see his father so grieved.

"Kishi kaisei." (1)

Surprised, Splinter raised his eyes to meet his son's. Leonardo put a hand over his saying, "Keizoku wa chikara nari." (2) The smile returned to Splinter's face, although not quite as broad as before. "Thank you, Leonardo." After patting his son's hand, he rose up from his seat and stretched his arms. "It is late and I am still quite awake. Perhaps some meditation would help both of us?" Leonardo accepted the invitation immediately. "Hai, sensei."

* * *

The next few days passed in a steady routine. Training, goofing off and patrols. Amazingly, the criminal activity in the city was quiet for the time being. Leaving plenty of room in Leonardo's mind for a few plaguing thoughts, Karai, Tang Shen and Splinter. While reading one of his Space Heroes comics one evening, he kept looking up at the old family portrait on the shelf. Something Splinter said was bothering him.

 _I've never seen her grow a day older since I lost them both._

When the day had idly passed into night, and everyone else was in bed, Leonardo sat alone in the dojo. Sleep was even harder to come by tonight for some reason. Determined to find rest, he tried perfecting his meditation techniques.

Splinter had taught him how to use the kuji-in to physically heal himself and others, but now he was trying to use it to cure the restlessness in his soul.

Reciting the mantra, he made the hand seals that went with each word. "Rin... Pyō... Tō... Sha... Kai... Jin... Retsu... Zai... Zen..." Slowly, a strange vision began to open up before him. His eyes were closed, so naturally he didn't see anything at first but thick blackness. He had dimmed the lights in the room. There was nothing on bright enough to penetrate his eye lids. His shock knocked him backwards when a ball of light burst into life before him. As he was lying back on his shell, the ball of light drifted closer, its warm yellow glow lighting up his face. Eight others faded in around it slowly.

Leonardo had never had a vision while meditating before. Initially, he was frightened, but now it felt as though these things had come to help. With a strange peace of mind, he got up and looked around, still seeing nothing but darkness around them.

"Well, what do I do now?" he wondered aloud.

He looked back at the floating lights. They seemed to be waiting for him to do something. Not knowing what else to do, he started walking aimless through the dark, the lights drifting in front of him as he went.

There was no sound. Where ever he went there was just an eerie silence. The further he went, the more it bothered him. To fill the air with some noise, he started the mantra up again. "Rin. Pyō. Tō. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen. Kō."

Untamed predacious sensations suddenly overwhelmed his thoughts. He tried to determine where they were coming from. They seemed to be all around him, forming into something like a crimson haze. Then voices began whispering to him from all directions. At first they were hard to ear, as if smothered. Focusing harder, he started to hear them more clearly. Every voice belonged to Karai.

His came to a full stop when the lights revealed a familiar face, a serpant's face.

"Karai!" he shouted.

She hissed in return and slithered further into the darkness. Leonardo did his best to follow.

"I'm not loosing you again! Not this time!"

The balls of light began whirling around him at a breath taking speed, helping him see the concrete path she going down. He called her name repeatedly, reaching out a hand as he ran. Brick walls rose up along the way, so he had to detour around them.

"No! You can't shake me! I'm bringing you home!"

If she had heard him before this point, she didn't show it. This time however, she stopped and turned around. She squinted, as though the light hurt her eyes.

"Leonardo?" she said slowly, confused.

He stopped just short of her, breathing heavily from the long run. The balls of light expanded their orbit of Leonardo to include Karai, slowing the pace of their rotation. The light blinded her for a minute, but soon she got used to it.

"Karai, it's me. I've come to take you home," he said, putting out his hand.

She backed up a little, tilting her head. "H-Home...?" Leonardo withdrew his hand, wondering why she was so befuddled. The balls of light stopped abruptly, the intensity of their glow growing brighter. Karai's head started jerking as a result. Then she began attacking him, like a wild animal.

Leonardo's reflexes didn't fail him, dodging the first round of strikes quickly and with trained fluidity. "Karai! Stop! It's me, Leo!"

As he watched her movements, her thoughts and feelings became almost tangible to him. Everytime she failed to hurt him, he was pierced with a sliver of the suffering inside her. Her thoughts were scrambled. Her memories were a jumbled mess. It had created a whirlpool of emotions that was drowning her soul.

Now he understood. Her behavior was a result of a broken mind. The Shredder had played with it too much, turning her savage. She was living purely off of the viper instincts in her dna. While the realization enraged him, he had to put it aside. Karai needed him.

After an attempt to bite him, she left herself open, so he leapt on her. Their chests collided. He wrapped his arms around her. Holding on with all the strength he had, he tried to concentrate. Meanwhile, she was writhing, struggling to get free.

"Karai, you've got to focus!" Leonardo shouted, trying to steady himself mentally. "Remember who you are! Remember what you've been through! You're strong! I know you can!"

Slowly, she stopped fighting. He held her even tighter, pressing his cheek against hers.

"That's it," he soothed, taking a deep breath. "Remember."

He let his thoughts pour into hers, helping her piece everything back together again. Several minutes passed like this. Finally, he felt her body shift back into human form.

"L-Leo? Is that really you?" she asked, her voice raw.

Releasing the breath he had been holding, he pulled away to look at her face.

Her hair had grown long, full of dirt and who knew what else. Her skin was just as filthy. She had lost some weight and muscle. What was left of her suit and armour was scant, barely enough to keep her decent.

Tears started racing down her cheeks, washing away some of the grime attached to her face. Automatically, Leonardo tried to wipe them away.

In his peripheral vision, the darkness was melting away. He tore his eyes away from her long enough to look around.

They were in a sewer tunnel miles away from the lair. When he returned his gaze to her, he cupped her face in his hands.

For a moment, he wasn't sure he was really there either, but after a minute or two, holding her face in his hands, he knew for sure. Somehow, through his meditation, he had found her.

With a sigh of relief, he finally answered. "Yes, it's me. I'm here to take you home." Hearing him say that opened the flood gates. Painful sobs wracked her body. She leaned into him, putting her arms around his neck. Desperately clinging to him, she said: "Thank you." Tears stinging his own eyes, he pulled her into his arms and lifted her off the ground. Standing there, holding her in his arms, he remembered what his sensei had said.

 _She was so small and delicate... When I took her in my arms, I wanted to hold her like that for the rest of my life._

A similar feeling swelled in Leonardo's chest. Karai had been through so much. Now she was finally safe from everything attacking her, body and soul, and he wanted to keep it that way.

He carried her all the way back home, whispering comforting words in her ear.

* * *

When Splinter woke up that morning, everything was normal. He went through his own personal exercises. Then he squeezed in some meditation before his children woke up. Eventually, their noisy morning routine overlapped with his quiet one, and soon drowned it out. The burning smell of breakfast wafted in. That was his cue to go and check in. He found Raphael fighting with Michelangelo in the kitchen, forgotten pancakes blackening on the stove.

"Boys!" he shouted, freezing them in their tracks. "Every day should start with a balanced breakfast. Not a fist fight!"

"I heard that," Donatello grumbled, walking past his father.

He went over to the stove and tossed the burned mess in the garbage can.

"It was Mikey's fault, sensei!" Raphael defended, twisting his brother's arm.

Michelangelo squirmed, squealing in pain. "Was not!" Raphael twisted his arm harder. "Was so!"

This went on back and forth for a few minutes. All the while, Splinter pinched the space between his eyes, frustrated.

"Morning everyone," Leonardo greeted behind him.

Everyone turned to look, stunned by the sight. Leonardo was standing there, a big smile on his face and Karai in his arms. She was rubbing her eyes, as if waking up from a deep sleep. When she raised her head to meet their surprised stares, she started to cry again. She jumped down to her feet and ran to Splinter.

"Father..." whispered her rough voice, choked with tears.

Numbly, Splinter embraced his long lost daughter, looking to Leonardo for an answer. The boy just kept smiling, glad to see the family whole once more. Finally, it all came rushing in. His daughter was home again at last. He too began to cry.

* * *

Wrapped in a fleece blanket, Karai sat a the kitchen table with her family. Splinter had made them all some tea. Even though Karai, Leonardo and himself were the only ones drinking it, everyone was put at ease by the familiar aroma.

Always the first to ask questions, Donatello inquired about where she had been. A shudder came over her as she began to remember.

"I... I was just wandering the city. After Stockman's brain worm was... gone, I became wild. I turned into an animal."

She stopped a moment to look at her father. Splinter's eyes were sympathic. He could relate to his daughter's situation.

"Go on my daughter," he said softly. "We are all here for you."

The boys were in full agreement, putting in a few encouraging words themselves. Karai looked down at the table, feeling all the love and concern in the room. It gave her the strength she needed to continue.

"Right, okay... Well..." she mumbled, clearing her throat. "At first, I didn't remember anything or anyone for days. My mind was just blank. The only thing I thought of was survival. I don't know how long I was like that. It felt like forever. After a while though, memories started popping up, but out of sequence... For every truth I knew, a lie would contradict it. I was caught between the memories of Shredder and you father."

She looked up at him, grabbing the sleeve of his robe.

"It was like you two were at war in my head. Since I wasn't myself, I didn't know which to believe. It only got worse from there... By the time Leo found me, I was a total mess."

"You were under the influence of that brain worm for a long time," Leonardo said, turning from her to Donatello. "We were able to snap Raphael out of it pretty quickly, but-"

"It was only in his system for a few hours," Donatello finished. "I did extensive research on them, but I barely scratched the surface. If it had stayed in your head any longer, I'm not sure we would've been able to help you. In fact..."

He looked at Leonardo, a sudden wave of surprise falling over his face. "I'm not sure I could've done anything about the state she was in when you found her. What happened exactly? And how did you find her in the first place?" Everyone looked at him expectantly, but all Leonardo could offer was a nervous shrug. He was just as clueless as they were.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I was meditating. Then I started to have this vision. Somehow, it brought me to you," he tried to explain, grinning at Karai. "I don't know exactly what I did when I found you, but I'm glad it brought you back."

She smiled back at him, saying, "I'm glad too."

For a moment, she was the only one in the room to him. He had been lamenting over his failure to rescue her for so long. Now the tremendous weight had been lifted, and they could all move on with their lives. It was just so good to see her sitting across from him in their kitchen. He wanted to soak the scene in for as long as he could, but his pesky little brother interrupted with a sharp pinch.

"Ouch! What gives Mikey?!" Leonardo shouted, jerking his arm away.

"How do we know you're not having a vision right now?" Michelangelo asked skeptically, moving to pinch Leonardo again.

However he didn't get a second chance. Both Leonardo and Raphael smacked the back of his skull.

"Hey!" Michelangelo cried, rubbing his head.

"If this was a vision then that didn't really hurt," Raphael smirked.

Before he had to chance to argue, Splinter changed the subject.

"Leonardo," he said, his tone demanding acknowledgment.

The son addressed immediately stopped glaring at his little brother, turning to Splinter with apologetic eyes "Yes, sensei?" Splinter chuckled at his oldest son's young face. While he had matured a great deal, Leonardo was still quite a child in some ways.

"Leonardo," he began again, his voice softer and full of pride. "You have awakened a strength even I have not begun to understand. Great masters have strived to achieve a feet such as this and have failed... I have been aware of your spiritual potential for some time now..."

He chuckled again, looking at his son with surprise and fascination.

"However, I did not think you would progress so quickly. I'm afraid I cannot offer you much wisdom or teachings, but I am certain you will do fine without it."

Reaching over and putting a hand on Leonardo's shoulder, he said: "After all, you saved Miwa. Thank you my son."

Shy under his father's praises, Leonardo only bowed his head in return. Giving his shoulder a little squeeze before letting go, Splinter rose from his chair. He took a moment to look at his children, all in the same room once again.

"Now, I think it's time for breakfast," Splinter announced. "Raphael, get a hot bath ready for your sister. She can soak while we're cooking. Donatello, go and find something comfortable for her to wear. Michelangelo, go clean your room."

Surprised by the strange order, he asked, "What? Why now? Can't I help cook or something?"

"Because your room is filthy, Michelangelo. We can enjoy your _culinary arts_ some other time," Splinter answered.

He ignored his youngest son's protests as the boys left. Feeling left out, Leonardo asked, "What about me, sensei?"

"You can help me if you wish, but I think you should rest," Splinter replied. "You were up all night my son. I will wake you when it's time to eat."

Yawning, Leonardo suddenly felt how tired he was, but he didn't want to sleep. Not when there was so much excitement going on.

"Go take a nap Leo," Karai said, getting to her feet. "You look tired."

Seeing that she was trembling, a bit unsteady on her legs, Leonardo noticed for the first time how pale and weak she looked.

"You alright?" he asked.

Both he and Splinter watched her closely, even as she told them she was fine. "I'm just tired. I'm okay, really." Splinter nodded and went to gather some ingredients, but Leonardo was a little harder to convince. She rolled her eyes.

"Go get some sleep Leo, jeez," she teased, lips curling in a cat like grin. "I'll still be here when you wake up."

Too drained to argue much more, he got up. "You'd better be."

When he was gone, she turned to see what her father was cooking. He was pouring dashi in a large black pot.

"What are you making?" she asked, leaning to peer inside.

"It's one of your mother's recipes," he replied.

He felt Karai's wide eyes on him as he started cutting up the mushrooms.

"Mother's recipe?" she echoed, gripping the blanket tightly.

Splinter smiled down at her. "Yes, it's her special miso soup. Do you like miso soup, Miwa?" She nodded, her face brightening.

"Good. When you are more rested, I can teach you how to make it if you like."

"I'd love that, father."

She watched him work until Raphael came back to tell her the bath was ready. Not a second later, Donatello came in with one of Splinter's robes.

"I'm sorry, Karai. It's big, but we don't have anything else," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll text April later. Maybe she can bring something down after school."

Karai took the robe and hugged it against her chest. It smelled clean. That was all that mattered to her. "Thank's Don. I really appreciate it." Donatello awkwardly replied, "You're welcome." She patted his and Raphael's shoulders as she passed them. For a moment, neither said anything. Then Raphael abruptly said: "It's weird having a girl in the lair."

"Yeah, it's always been just us guys," Donatello agreed. "But I think it'll be nice having a sister."

Raphael scoffed, punching his brother's arm. "Maybe she can teach you how to talk to girls." Blushing intensely, Donatello stuttered a retort which sparked an argument between them.

Meanwhile, Splinter kept himself busy, enjoying the sounds of a full house.

* * *

 _~Translations_

 _1\. Kishi kaisei: Wake from death and return to life. Meaning to come out of a desperate situation and make a complete return in one sudden burst._

 _2\. Keizoku wa chikara nari: Continuance (also) is power/strength. Meaning don't give up. Just continuing to hold on will yield/reveal strength and power. Continuing on after a setback is its own kind of strength. Perseverance is power._

 _~ Thanks for reading!_


	2. Prologue Chapter 2

_~ Author's note._

 _Thank you for all the great reviews everyone! For those confused about Karai's rescue, I promise that all will be explained soon, after the prologue. Thanks again!_

* * *

Home Again

Chapter Two

* * *

The dojo was filled with anticipation. Each ninja was completely still, eyes darting to every face opposing them. Finally, one of them lost his patience.

"So, are we gonna do this or what?" Raphael asked.

"Aw yeah!" Michelangelo cried, striking first. "Ninja melee dawg!"

Donatello blocked his attack. Then flipped back to put some distance between them. Raphael choose to go for Leonardo but, half way through his charge, Karai caught his sais with her katana.

"What's the matter, Raph?" Karai teased, pushing him back. "Afraid to fight a girl?"

In an instant, Raphael's temper took over. "If you want a beat down sister, all you have to do is ask!"

Karai grinned devilishly. "Bring it on!"

With no one to fight at the moment, Leonardo took a few minutes to observe.

Michelangelo wasn't focused on the fight so much as he was funning around. Donatello was doing a good job of keeping his cool. His fast paced mind was three moves ahead of his brother. Although, it was all he could do to physically keep up with the hyper active Michelangelo.

A cry from Karai drew Leonardo's attention away. She had Raphael on the defensive. His hot headed brother had plenty of muscle and skill, but Karai was just as skilled and far more cunning. Considering that she had ate, slept and breathed ninjutsu since she could walk, it wasn't big a surprise.

She was in much better shape now since her homecoming. Her skin's healthy glow had returned quickly. Building her muscles back up took a bit longer, but now she was back in full swing.

Instead of fixing it the way it was before, she decided to keep her hair long, like her mother. She did cut off the faded blonde dye at the ends, but her hair grew out again pretty fast. However, she didn't entirely abandoned hair dye. She did a streak of blonde at the front. In Leonado's opinion, it looked much better this way, especially when she braided it like she had today.

She was wearing the silk blouse I liked best too. It was pastel blue with white buttons. It had a high neck and was sleeveless. It hugged her curves well, and so did the black pants she paired it with.

While he had gotten caught up in admiring Karai, he had not forgotten one of the fundamental ninja rules. Always be aware of your surroundings. Apparently his brothers had decided to gang up on him. He ducked just in time. Donatello's bo staff missed his head by inches. At the same time, Michelangelo was swinging his nunchucks at Leonardo's ankles. Leonardo bent backwards just as they were about to make contact. Putting his hands on the floor, he lifted his legs up to both dodge Michelangelo's attack and catch Donatello's staff between his feet. He slammed it into Michelangelo's shoulder, making him drop one of his weapons. He caught it in his hand as he rolled back. Popping up to his feet, he slung out his little brother's kusarigama. Like lassoing cattle, he entrapped them in the chain and yanked them off their feet. If they hadn't been standing so close together, it wouldn't have been so easy.

"Nice try guys," Leonardo commended, unsheathing his twin katana. "But try harder next time."

"Whatever," his brothers huffed in unison.

Laughing, Leonardo went to cut into the next fight. By the time he got there, Karai had Raphael pinned to the ground, and he was boiling over it.

"Alright! Alright! Get off of me!" he shouted.

Karai released his arms and backed away. "Anything you say little brother." If looks could kill, Raphael would have vaporized Karai. He hated it when she called him that, especially in that haughty tone she carried so well.

Leonardo tried to clear his throat to keep from laughing, but it came out as a choked chortle. This made Raphael all the more angrier.

"You got something to say?!" Raphael demanded, rising to his feet.

Leonardo shook his head. "Nope. I'm good." Raphael grumbled something under his breath as he limped off. Probably along the lines of "Stick it up your shell." Now it was just Leonardo and Karai.

"You ready?" she asked, lifting her katana.

Leonardo raised his as well. "Always."

While untangling himself from Donatello, Michelangelo shouted, "Then start already!" Then sooner this was over, the sooner he could enjoy some down time.

At the end of his sentence, it began. Everytime their blades met was like a flash of lightening. Both moved at blinding speeds. Karai was more flexible but Leonardo was sturdy. Whenever she managed to slip behind him, he used his shell as a shield. She was like the unyielding river, and he an unmovable mountain.

Eventually, when their swords were locked, Leonardo was able to shove her weapon out of her hands. It flew across the dojo, skidding to a halt at their master's feet. Smirking, Karai put up her fists. Stubborn girl that she was, she wasn't close to conceding defeat.

"Where's that blinding powder when you need it?" Leonardo mocked, feeling cocky.

She didn't reply, busy planning on how to put him in his place. The determination lit a familiar spark in her eyes. His confidence shrank at the sight of them. Before he lost his nerve, he decided to strike first, but she maneuvered around his blades easily. She slipped up through his arms and gave him a peck on the cheek, stunning him. While his defense was down, she pounded her fist into his jaw, knocking him off his feet and making him drop his swords.

Lying on his shell, he stared up at the ceiling, in a daze from both the blow and the kiss. Karai's face appeared above him. She was leaning over him, giggling and offering a hand to help him up.

"You okay, Leo?" she asked.

He drew his mouth into a tight line. "You cheated." She rolled her eyes, still giggling. "Did not." Leonardo grabbed her hand in both of his but, instead of letting her help him up, he kicked her in the stomach, pushing her up in the air. Still holding her hand, he slung her down on the floor behind him. Now she was lying flat on her back, gasping for breath.

"Did too," he chuckled.

When she found the air to speak, she managed to say through deep breaths, "Did... not..."

The others walked up and helped them both up.

"So who won?" Michelangelo asked, scratching his head.

"In training, there are never any losers Michelangelo," Splinter explained. "As long as you are learning, that is all that matters."

Every one of his students stared at him thoughtfully, but Michelangelo.

"Well, if there were any losers, Raph totally got his shell kicked," he snickered.

It wasn't unusual for Raphael or Leonardo to best him in combat, but Raphael was always smug about it. The fact that Karai had beat him with little to no effort made the youngest turtle giddy.

Bursting with laughter, Donatello held his splitting sides, also tired of playing the roll of punching bag for Raphael.

Turning red from embarassment as well as rage, Raphael let out a loud yell. His brothers' jovial faces turned fearful. Both side stepped behind their sister for protection. She sighed deeply while shaking her head, disappointed that they had backed down yet again. As she looked at the wild fire that was Raphael, her expression softened into an understanding one. Throwing a supportive arm around her brother's neck, she said: "The only reason I won today is because you let me get inside your head." Disarmed by gentleness of her voice, Raphael released the building tension in his shoulders. She gave him a smile and started walking him out of the dojo. "If you had kept your emotions in check, it would've been a different fight. We'll have a rematch when you've cooled off. Then we'll see who the better ninja is." Even though he tried not to, his angry face melted into a small smile.

"Thanks, sis," he said quietly.

The rest of the boys followed them out into the entertainment area, leaving Splinter behind as their conversation moved to other subjects. Filled with pride, he watched them go. Having their family whole was like a salve to all his remaining heartaches. The only person he longed for now was Tang Shen. He wanted her to watch their daughter grow and change with him, and maybe help the boys improve their table manners.

Amusing himself with the thought of his wife at the dinner table, he sat down and tried to meditate.

In the other room, the boys gathered around the television. One of Michelangelo's favorite cartoons was on. Karai stood behind the couch to watch the first few minutes, finding it silly and immature. Then her Tphone chirped at an incoming text from April.

 _Ready for our girls' day out?_

Having almost forgotten about it, she left the boys to their cartoon and went into her room.

 _Yes! I need some fresh air!_

While she wasn't too excited to go hang out at the mall, she needed a break from being with the guys all the time, especially Leonardo. Since the day he brought her home, there was hardly a minute where he wasn't close by. Not that she was entirely annoyed by it, but a girl needed room to breathe.

Searching for her new favorite outfit, she rifled through her clothes rack. There wasn't a closet in her new room, so the boys had dug up the old, rusty rack at the city dump. They found some furniture for her too.

Remembering their efforts fondly, she stopped and looked around. It had been Leonardo's room first. He had generously given it up and moved into the old storage room. It was smaller, but he claimed that it didn't bother him. He words were, "Girls need more space than guys do."

His blue paint was still on the walls. It was a soft, peaceful shade, so she had decided not to change it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

His scent obstinately clung to every corner, but that didn't bother her. It had helped calm her down when she was having nightmares. Every time she woke up, it reminded her that she was home. After the very last one she had, Leonardo himself was there.

 _Breathing heavily, dripping with sweat, she sat up in her bed, shivering from the lingering image of Oroku Saki. He was the man she had once called father. She once thought he loved her, but he never showed her the kind of affection Splinter did. Still, he raised her. A childhood full of lies didn't change that. Thinking about the small happy moments they shared, few that they were, gave her a sorrow that burned in her chest, as if someone had died. Knowing that he was responsible for her mother's demise should make her hate him, right? Yet she felt so heartbroken, and she didn't understand why. He had used her, controlled her and caused the worst season of her life. She had been so full of hatred at first. Why was she feeling so sad now?_

 _A few small knocks on her door startled her._

 _"Karai," Leonardo whispered behind the door. "Can I come in?"_

 _She wiped the sweat off of her face before giving permission. The door opened half way at her response. He poked his head in and smiled at her. "I woke up hungry and made some ramen. Want some?" The smell wafted in as he waited for her answer. It was comforting._

 _"Sure," she said, crossing her legs and grabbing her ankles. "I could eat."_

 _His smile grew wider as he pushed the door the rest of way open. Balancing two bowls in his left hand and forearm, he turned the light on with his right hand. She scooted up further on the bed to make room for him. Then he sat down and gave her a bowl._

 _"How did you know I was awake?"_

 _As she was asking, Leonardo was in the middle of sucking in a few strips of noodles. Once they were down his throat, he answered, "Supreme ninja skills." This made her laugh a little bit._

 _They ate their noodles in silence at first. Near the end of their meal, Leonardo asked, "So, what's bothering you?" Not wanting to answer, she sipped the last of the broth in her bowl, trying to think of a little white lie. Although, she knew that he wasn't going to let her off the hook easily. Still, she had to try._

 _"I'm just having trouble sleeping," she said, setting her bowl on the bedside table. "That's all."_

 _Knowing her eyes would betray her, she stared down at her hands, scratching away the dirt under her nails. Of course, Leonardo wasn't buying it. He finished the last of his ramen and put the emptied bowl over hers._

 _"The nightmares are getting worse, aren't they?"_

 _She flinched. How did he know? Releasing a deflating sigh, she pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees._

 _"Yes," she whispered. "But I'm dealing with it."_

 _Tilting his head to try and catch her eyes, he asked, "So what else is going on that you're_ not _dealing with?" He put his hand on her shoulder. "What ever it is, it's probably the reason you're nightmares aren't going away." This whole family thing was still new to her. She wasn't used to someone going to so much trouble to help her._

 _"You don't need to sit up with me, Leo. I'm not fragile," she said, feeling strangely ashamed. "I can take care of myself."_

 _As if expecting her to say that, Leonardo moved to sit right beside her, so close that their arms were touching. "I know you can, but you're apart of_ our _family now. We help each other through problems. I can't see you like this and do nothing." Finally, she lifted her head to look at him. On his sad, maskless face, she could see markings of deep concern._

 _Without warning, everything started bubbling up. Sobs crawled their way out of her throat, and tears started rolling down her cheeks. She had completely lost control and let it go. Rubbing her eyes furiously, she fell on her side into Leonardo's lap._

 _Again, he wasn't surprised. He gently turned her over, pulled her up to his chest and wrapped his arms securely around her. Desperate for something steady to hold on to, she put her arms around his waist. She held on as tightly as her trembling body could, pressing a wet cheek to his plastron._

 _"He lied to me," she said brokenly, hardly above a whisper. "He lied to me my whole life. Then he... he... I..."_

 _Her tightening throat cut her words short. Leonardo rested the side of his face on the top of her head, rubbing circles in her back._

 _"It's okay, Karai," he said quietly. "You're allowed to grieve for the person you thought he was."_

 _She shook her head. "But I don't want to! I hate him."_

 _"He told you that he was your father, and he cruelly proved that was a lie."_

 _"He's a monster!"_

 _"You don't have to be ashamed of how you feel, Karai. Your real father isn't going to think any less of you. None of us will judge you."_

 _He took her chin and turned her face up to look at her. His smile was warm and supportive. "The only thing you're guilty of is being human." Those words had her crumbling in his arms, and she was too tired to try and hide it._

He held her like that until her tears had finally run dry. After that night, she began coming to terms with all that she went through.

She didn't see the need tell Splinter anything. Even though Leonardo was right, that her real father wouldn't feel betrayed or hurt, a part of her still felt guilty. If it would pain her father even in the smallest way, she wanted to spare him that. Besides, now that she had plucked the thorn from her side, and let the festering wound breathe, her broken heart was healing nicely.

"Karai! April's here!" called Michelangelo from the other room.

"Be there in a minute!" she called back.

She quickly put her outfit on and left, abandoning her demons as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

 _~ Thanks for reading!_


	3. Prologue Chapter 3

_~Author's Note._

 _Thanks for the reviews guys! Here's the last prologue chapter._

* * *

Home Again

Chapter Three

* * *

When the bell rang for their freedom, Karai wasted no time. She flew out the doors with April and Casey strolling behind her. Breathing in the crisp air of autumn, she stared up into the sky.

"It's been a looong week!" she said, stretching her arms. "But it's finally over."

April smothered a laugh under the back of her hand. "It's just high school, Karai. Not prison." Casey scoffed, heading for his bicycle. "Maybe not to you. You're almost as big a nerd as Donnie is."

"Yeah, miss math club," Karai agreed, taking the offered high five from Casey. "I'll take a twelve hour training session any day over this."

April rolled her eyes. It was fun having another girl in the group, but Karai turned out to be more like the guys than she expected.

She followed Karai to where the kunoichi had parked her moped. Donatello had fixed it up as a present for her first day of high school. All the brothers had helped with the paint job. It was cherry red with ninja themed black decals, ranging from kanji to throwing stars.

Karai threw an extra helmet at April after she put hers on. While it wouldn't be for twelve hours, they did have a training session waiting for them at the lair.

"You coming Casey?" April asked, adjusting the straps of her helmet.

He shook his head. "Nah, I gotta pick up my little sister. I promised to take her out for ice cream after school today. I'll catch up with you guys later."

With that, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

* * *

With life settling into a regular pace again, the guys decided it was time to start their patrols back up, which had been put on hold since Karai's homecoming. At about nine o'clock, they started gearing up in the dojo. They were surprised when Karai walked in, wearing her new suit.

It was the color of the Hamato clan, red. The steel armour that went over it wasn't much different than what she wore before, except that the symbol of their clan was engraved on the back. She had a black face mask on and her hood was up.

They all stared at her as she walked across the room to the weapons rack.

"All dolled up for a night on the town?" Raphael asked, raising a hairless eyebrow.

A sparkle shone in her amber eyes, and a smirk wrinkled her mask. "We're going on patrol, right?" She picked up her katana after strapping the sheath to her waist.

Raphael looked over her shoulder at Leonardo. His brother was too _preoccupied_ to meet his eyes, so he looked to the others instead. Michelangelo shrugged his shoulders, turning to Donatello who shrugged also.

"Don't you have home work or something?" Raphael asked, putting his sais in his belt.

"Already did it," she answered. "What's wrong? No girls allowed in the ninja club?"

Grunting, he chucked a shuriken at Leonardo. He caught it between his fingers, finally snapping out of his daze.

"Well, fearless leader," Raphael began, folding his arms. "Are girls allowed?"

Seeing the confused look on his face, they all realized that Leonardo had not been following the conversation. Nervously, his eyes darted from face to face, catching their expectant stares. Wondering what he had missed, he quickly recovered with, "Um... Let's go."

Karai nudged Raphael with her elbow. He glared back at her through the corners of his eyes, but his agitation released its hold when he looked at her. She was smiling under her mask, excited. Being cooped up in either the lair or at school wasn't good for a ninja. He chuckled and nudged her back.

On their way through the main room, Splinter appeared from the kitchen, tea cup in hand.

"Going on patrol?" he asked.

Everyone replied with, "Hai, sensei."

Counting heads as they passed, he noticed Karai among them. Fear's double edged sword ran him through. He reached out a hand and caught her shoulder before she went by.

"My daughter..." he began, but hesitated.

She stood there, strong and centered, waiting for him to finish. "Yes father?" Swallowing his concerns, he pulled her into a hug. From the first day she came home, he knew this was coming. Still, he wasn't ready to let her go. No more so than when his boys left home for the first time.

His boys, quickly becoming men, had found a place in the world above through their skills. To keep them from protecting innocents, was like denying them their identities. His daughter, half human and half viper, was a ninja as well. Today, she was making this a part of her life, using her skills and new abilities for a great purpose.

He released her, but told her to wait a moment. His children watched him go into his room, wondering what he was up to. When he returned, he had something small folded in an old pink hankerchief. He put it into Karai's hands, a sad smile spreading below his proud eyes.

"It belonged to your mother," he said, unfolding it for her.

A broach was protected under the cloth. A small, dazzling dragon stared up at her with saphire eyes. Its body was made of jade. Swirling patterns of gold stretched from one end to the other. Two whiskers, also gold, curled off of its snout elegantly. It was barely the size of her thumb. Every little detail was a work of art. It looked and felt alive in her hands.

"It's beautiful," she gasped.

Splinter smiled, taking it and pinning it to the bottom of her hood. It would help keep it closed in the heat of combat.

"Not as beautiful as the woman who wore it, nor the one who wears it now," he replied.

Tears sparkled in her eyes, but she kept them in. "Thank you, father."

She hugged him once more before they left, with promises of a safe return.

* * *

The night air was chilly and filled with adrenaline. As they made their way through town, Karai kept her foot falls as quick and quiet as the boys, itching to find some action tonight.

Taking some rest on a water tower, they searched the vast city for any signs of trouble.

The city was beautiful at night. The warm yellow glow of lights were all around. People were walking down busy streets. Delicious smells of the countless restaurants hung on the gentle breeze.

"Guys," Leonardo said, pointing westward. "I think see something."

Everyone was by his side in a second. As he looked through a small telescope, he confirmed what he thought he'd seen. "It's Tiger Claw, Rocksteady and Bebop at the Blaylock Zoo. There's tons of Foot bots with them." Donatello snatched the telescope away to look for himself, obliviously annoying his older brother. "You're right... and they've got four big cages with them."

Snatching the telescope back roughly, Leonardo narrowed his eyes in their enemies direction. "Let's move in." With all the stealth that years of practice had given them, they dashed towards the zoo. They took position atop an old motel, where they could see everything clearly.

Bebop and Rocksteady were loading the cages into a black van. The cages were covered with white tarps. Tiger Claw was perched on top of the van, keeping an eye out for trouble.

Trying to guess the weight of the cages, Donatello studying how Bebop and Rocksteady carried them.

"What kind of animals are they taking?" Donatello wondered, calculating the information he was gathering visually.

Leonardo unsheathed his swords in one smooth motion. "I don't know, but I can guess what they're going to do with them." Karai was thinking the same thing. "Shredder must be in need of some new mutants."

"What's the plan?" Michelangelo asked, turning to his brother.

Before Leonardo could open his mouth, Karai started giving out the orders. "Looks like they're about ready to leave. We've got take them down." She took out her katana and pointed it at Raphael. "Raph, you're with me. We're going for Tiger Claw. Mikey and Leo, take out those two clowns down there. Donnie, while everyone's distracted, set those animals loose." She readied herself for the leap down. Just before she sprang into the air, she shouted, "Now!" In a blink of an eye, she gone.

Completely taken aback, the three younger brothers looked to Leonardo. They were surprised further by the fury flushing his face dark red. Apparently he had had a different plan in mind, and did not think kindly of Karai taking over.

Letting out a hiss of breath, he jumped off the roof.

"Come on!" he called.

The remaining turtles shrugged at each other, and then went to carry out their sister's plan.

They caught up with Karai just as she was engaging Tiger Claw. Running up to him, she threw out a line of shuriken. Tiger Claw deflected them with his sword. When that failed, she lept at him with her katana. Their blades met with a ringing clash.

At first glance, Tiger Claw didn't recognize who he was fighting. Her face was covered, but her eyes and fighting style soon gave her away.

"So, you still live?" he asked with a snarl.

She smirked, attempting to land her foot in his jaw. "And I'm kicking!" His free hand caught her foot and twisted it. She allowed her body to turn with it in mid air to avoid injury. Then she slashed one of his legs. As soon as the blade stung his thick skin, he released her foot. Free from his firm grip, she landed on her hands and flipped off of the van. Standing on solid ground, she took a defensive stance, her blade raised and ready for an attack. Not wasting more than a second, Tiger Claw jumped down to meet her. Before he could attack, Raphael vaulted himself up in the air with his hands. As he flew over Karai and was descending towards Tiger Claw, he whipped out his sais with a twisted grin on his face.

At the back of the van, where Rocksteady and Bebop were loading the cargo, Leonardo and Michelangelo had their hands full. Rocksteady was as tough as ever. With his ability of invisibility, Bebop was just as difficult to deal with. However, they managed to lure them far enough away from the van so Donatello could get inside. The only problem was, Donatello had to deal with the unoccupied Foot bots.

"Whatcha gonna do squirt?" Bebop teased, firing off rounds at Michelangelo. "Huh?! Whatcha gonna do?!

If Michelangelo wasn't so busy evading the gun fire, he'd have a scathing remark to throw back. It wasn't long endured however. Leonardo came to his rescue. He let Rocksteady charge at him. At the very last second, he sidestepped out of the way. His opponent crashed into Michelangelo's. They tumbled into a heap ten feet away. Michelangelo let out a low whistle, appreciating his older brother's well timed aim.

"Thanks Leo!" he cried, wiping his brow with his forearm.

"Come on," Leonardo replied, growing impatient. "We've got to help Donnie!"

Just as he turned towards Donatello, five Foot bots jumped in front of him, blocking their path.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Leonardo groaned, crossing his swords over his face.

Raphael was strong and held his own pretty well, but Tiger Claw was stronger. He snatched Raphael's wrist in one hand. The other sheathed his sword and reached for his gun. While he shot icy blasts at Karai, he clenched Raphael's wrist, hard. With a yell, Raphael dropped his sai. Even under the intense pain, he raised his other one to stab the tiger's hand. Knowing he would, Tiger Claw flung him through the air at Karai. Eyes widening at the 160 pound turtle hurtling towards her, she ducked out of the way. Raphael soared straight into Donatello, knocking him off the ground.

Leonardo caught this in his peripheral vision. His brothers were lying on the cold cement, exposed to attack from about a dozen Foot bots.

"Mikey!" he called, slicing a bot straight down the middle. "Go help Raph and Donnie!"

Seeing that Rocksteady and Bebop were getting back up, he shouted back, "What about you dude?!"

"I'll be fine! Go!"

Michelangelo nodded. First he finished the Foot bot he was fighting and then rushed off, leaving Leonardo with the remaining few and the recovering mutant foes.

Karai, now facing Tiger Claw with no aid, chose to attack from long range, using kunai and shuriken. Circling her, he deflected them with his sword, as easily as swatting flies. When she had no more to throw, he started firing at her again, freezing one of her hands. The weight of the ice encasing her hand jerked her to her knees. Instead of finishing her off, he put his gun away and folded his arms. Four Foot bots dropped in from above, surrounding her. As they closed in, she let her rage take over. After forcing herself up, she slung her frozen hand at the Foot bots' heads. In one sweep, twirling all the way around, she took off all their heads, breaking off pieces of the ice one chunk at a time. Now that the ice was weak with cracks, she slammed it against the ground, shattering what was left of it.

Tiger Claw dropped his arms to his sides.

"Master Shredder wants you brought in," he began backing away slowly. "But we have other business to attend to. I'll have to let you go for now."

He dashed and got into the back of a black car that had suddenly drove into the scene. It peeled out and was gone from her sight in seconds. Then the van started up next to her. She had been so focused on Tiger Claw, she didn't notice Rocksteady or Bebop getting in the van. They took off after Tiger Claw, the cargo still inside. The guys ran past her after them, throwing what shuriken they had left, but it was too late. The throwing stars clattered across the pavement as the vehicle drove away, just beyond their reach.

Determined, Karai started to take off after them. "Come on! If we hurry, we can catch up to them!" Leonardo grabbed her hand as she was running by and jerked her off her feet. After a not so graceful landing on her backside, she shot a deadly look up at him. "What are you-" Taking her by the shoulders, he roughly pulled her up to her feet. "You're not going anywhere except back home." Stunned by his furious tone, she froze. "W-What...?" Leonardo's face matched his voice, eyebrows pulled together over his fiery eyes. His lips were pressed in a tight line and veins were popping out on his temples.

This was the first time she had seen his temper get to him this badly. Feeling the heat waves rolling off of him sparked an old flame inside her. She yanked her hood back and pulled her face mask off, nostrils flaring as she took in short breaths of fresh air. "What are you talking about?! They're getting away!" Their eyes boring into each other, Leonardo pointed at Raphael. "Raph can't fight with one hand and I can't send him home alone!" She whipped her head to Leonardo's left. Raphael was standing next to Michelangelo, holding his sprained wrist. It was already swelling. In an instant, Karai cooled off, eyes locked on her brother's puffy wrist.

"Mikey and Donnie," he said, still staring at Karai. "You're with me. Let's go."

In another instant, Karai's spirit was on fire again.

"Wait up!" Karai protested, turning back to Leonardo. "Why can't you, Donnie or Mikey take him home?! Why do I have to-"

"Because you're a risk to this team!"

Karai found herself stunned again, not by the tone but by the words he used. Leonardo turned his back to her and started walking away, Michelangelo and Donatello following.

"I know you're used to being the one calling the shots," Leonardo said over his shoulder. "But on this team that's my place. Not yours."

"H-Hey! You can't do this!" she shouted, running after him.

She planned on tackling him, but she was knocked off her feet by a quick low sweep. Tonight, Leonardo was full of surprises, and it was really ticking her off. After she landed on her back, Leonardo went over and looked down at her. His face was serious, jaw set. "If you're going to go out on patrols with us, you have to do what I tell you. If you have a problem with that, you don't get to come. End of story." He nodded to Raphael who nodded back. Karai wasn't so much taking him home as he was taking her.

As the others dashed off, Raphael walked over to her. She was sitting up, glaring at Leonardo's shell shrinking further away from her.

With a sigh, he offered her his good hand. "Come on sis. Let's go home." Looking at his hand with offense, she gently pushed it away. He waited patiently for her to get up on her own. Then they started the long trek home.

* * *

Splinter was worried when the two came home alone, especially with one of them injured. When his daughter stormed past him and into the dojo, he was confused. His son filled him in as he wrapped his swollen wrist. Placing an ice pack over it, Splinter hummed thoughtfully.

"I couldn't believe Leo talked to her like that," Raphael chuckled. "It's not that I don't feel bad for her, I do, but I kind of liked it. He's always been so... spineless when it comes to Karai. He just lets her do whatever she wants, but not this time."

Splinter didn't reply. He rose from his seat on the couch and went to the dojo. Raphael watched silently, knowing what kind of conversation was about to take place.

Splinter found her pummeling the punching bag, her knuckles beginning to bleed. She hadn't noticed her father enter the room, caught in a whirlwind of rage.

"Who does he think he is?" she grunted between jabs.

"He is the team leader. He's the one responsible for your lives."

A pinch of surprise made her flinch. Turning her head back, she stared at her father in the door way. She didn't dare argue with him. Although she wanted to, she just couldn't bring herself to the task. She didn't want to put him through that. He had already been through so much. Instead she sat down with her back against the wall, arms hanging off of her knees, holding her tongue as she twiddled her thumbs.

"My daughter," he began, putting his hands behind his back. "He sent you home because you were being reckless."

She bit her bottom lip, determined not to say a word. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him sit beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders, hoping she would listen and understand. He didn't want to argue with her either, but he was her father. It was his job to tell her things she didn't want to hear. "You hastily charged into battle, disregarded Leonardo's leadership and did not fight as part of a team. He did what was necessary for the success of the mission and the safety of his team. You cannot blame him for this, can you?" Sighing, Karai hung her head. "No, I can't... I just..." Splinter chuckled and rested his chin on her head. "You're not accustomed to another teenager telling you what to do."

"Yeah, well... It's not always easy taking orders from Leo," Raphael said, walking up to them. "But he's does a good job."

Karai raised her head, Raphael's wrist catching her eye. "That's my fault." The sudden change of her tone, and the softness of her eyes caught him off guard. "I'm sorry Raph."

Raphael glanced down at his wrist, and then shrugged. "Believe me, this is nothing." He sat down at her unoccupied side, giving her a smile. "I'll be fine. Don't beat yourself up over it, okay?" She nodded, pulling him into a hug. Feeling awkward, Raphael patted her back, grinning up at Splinter.

"Sensei! Leo's hurt!" Donatello yelled frantically, turning them all pale.

The three of them quickly ran out of the dojo and into the main room. Leonardo was there, his right arm slung around Donatello's neck for support. The left was limp against his side, a bulge sticking out of his shoulder. Beads of sweat were dotted all over his face. One of his eyes was black under his blue mask.

"I'm not dying, Donnie," he said, swallowing hard.

Michelangelo was in front of him, holding his swords and sheaths. "You sure dude? You look like you're about to throw up." Leonardo nodded his head in response, not trusting his stomach enough to open his mouth.

Barely having to touch him, Splinter nudged Michelangelo out of the way to check Leonardo's shoulder. "It's dislocated. Donatello, take him into my room. Michelangelo, get my medical kit." They obeyed right away.

* * *

Karai and Raphael waited on the couch together. Their eyes were glued to the tv screen, but they weren't really watching it. Everyone else was in Splinter's bedroom, tending to Leonardo. No one had taken the time to stop and explain anything. Which was understandable, seeing the condition Leonardo was in upon their return.

Steadily losing patience by the minute, Karai stood up and went to the doors but didn't knock, like she had done five times since the boys came home.

"He's going to be okay you know," Raphael said, picking up the remote.

"Yeah," she mumbled, biting one of her knuckles.

Just as she had turned to rejoin Raphael on the couch, the doors slid open. Hardly surprised to find her there, Splinter smiled down at her. She craned her neck to look past him. Lying on Splinter's futon, Leonardo hid his face under his good arm as best he could. She then curiously looked at Michelangelo, sitting at his right side. He was laughing and sticking a pointing finger at Leonardo's face, making her wonder what had happened that was so funny.

Donatello was trying not to laugh, putting away the medical supplies. Leonardo was trying to ignore Michelangelo, but his brother's cackles were grating. Finally, Michelangelo got up to leave, wiping cheerful tears from his eyes. Since the crisis was over, he had apparently given himself permission to make fun of his big brother. On the way out, Splinter gave him a severe look. Although it did not silence him, this quieted him into soft giggles. As much as Michelangelo loved picking on his brothers, tonight it sounded as if his laughter stemmed more from relief than ridicule.

"So, he's going to be okay?" Karai asked.

Returning his attention back to her, Splinter smiled again. "Yes. It could take a month or two, but he will heal." Splinter turned his head back. Over his shoulder, he added sternly, "If he gets plenty of rest." Leonardo groaned irritably in response. He looked to Donatello for help, but his brother wasn't sympathic. He wagged a finger warningly at his older brother, but didn't say anything.

"I'd like to talk to him. If that's okay..." Karai said, looking at the floor.

"Of course," Splinter replied. "Donatello! Come and help me with dinner. You boys have eaten far too much pizza this week."

Michelangelo whined, but Splinter wasn't going to budge.

"A well balanced diet is key to a ninja's growth and health my son," he said firmly, making his way to the kitchen.

Donatello and Leonardo shared a chuckle before he left. As he passed by Karai, Donatello squeezed her shoulder. She patted his hand while it slipped away. Then she went inside and closed the doors.

The room was completely quiet. Not one sound drifted in from outside. The smell of incense burning nearby helped ease her nerves a little, but only a little. She felt frightened by her own voice and what had to be said. Would she pick the right words, or make things worse?

"So... did you want to talk?"

Taking a deep breath, Karai turned around and faced him.

"I... wanted to..." she paused, biting her knuckle again and looking away.

The words she'd chosen were stuck in her throat, choking her voice.

"Karai, I'm sorry I got so angry with you."

Her eyes flew back to Leonardo. He patted the futon, a cue for her to sit down. Slowly, she obliged him.

"You had a right. I'm the one who needs to appologize."

The words were starting to crawl out, and she didn't know how.

"Until you found me, I was alone. I've led squads of ninja, but the only person I had to keep alive was me. Looking out for others, and others looking out for me... I've never..."

She took Leonardo's hand in hers, grasping it tightly.

"You've never had a real family or comrades," he finished for her.

She shut her eyes, squeezing his hand even tighter.

"No... But I-"

"Karai, everyone came home alive. That's all that matters."

Her eyes snapped open, finding Leonardo's full of compassion.

"I understand."

Slipping his fingers between hers, he closed his eyes.

"You were Shredder's second in command for a long time. That's why you didn't think twice when you took charge of the situation, and you used the tactics that worked for you before. You slipped into that old role without realizing it."

He opened his eyes slowly, suddenly finding his eyelids heavy.

"It's going to take some time, probably not long, but you'll learn how our team works and fit right in.

Her eyes strayed to his shoulder. "But, Leo..."

It was wrapped and his arm was in a blue sling. She knew he had to be in a lot of pain. The only painkiller they had in the house was ibuprofen.

"Oh, this?" he looked down at his shoulder, wiggling his fingers. "This is had nothing to do with... It was my fault... I..."

He blushed, shyly looking up at the ceiling.

"We caught up to the van. While we were chasing it, I tripped and fell off a building."

Gasping, Karai began checking him over for more injuries, but he waved her off.

"We weren't that high up, Karai. I'm okay, really... A dumpster broke my fall."

It couldn't be helped. Karai covered her mouth with both hands, trying to smother her giggles. She was picturing him covered in trash.

Groaning, he covered his eyes with his hand, wishing he'd gotten the injury from Tiger Claw. There was more honor in that than a clumsy accident.

A loud, long string of laughter reached their ears from the main room. Apparently, Michelangelo had told Raphael.

Leonardo hid his face in shame with his arm again. "It's not funny guys! Seriously!" Karai clamped her mouth shut, trying not to smile. Prying his arm away, she said: "Don't worry. Maybe in a month or two, they'll have forgotten all about it." In response, he gave her an annoyed glare, certain that he'd never live it down. Then he let out a long breath. "Nope. They'll keep reminding me of it until the day I die." He closed his eyes again. In a half meditative state, he began clearing it from his mind.

This went on for several minutes. Karai thought he'd fallen asleep, so she started to leave. She had just opened the door when Leonardo whispered, "While we're down here recovering, the Shredder will be finishing whatever he started tonight. I hope we can handle it when it comes to light."

By the time she turned around, he had drifted off.

"Don't worry, Leo. We will," she said softly.

* * *

 _~ Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter 1

_~Author's note._

 _Thanks for the great reviews everyone! Here's chapter one. Thanks again!_

* * *

A Living Ghost: Divided Spirit

Chapter One

* * *

It felt like nothing no longer existed beyond the stony cells, dark halls and rooms filled with pain. The Shredder came regularly to make sure that all he felt was pain and fear. In his absence, Dr. Stockman tortured him with countless needles, scalpels and other sharp tools. No amount of resistance made it stop. Anything he did only caused more pain. Pain and fear. Fear and Pain. The cycle never ceased. The only thing left to do was accept it.

As he hung limply in his chains, hoping for a moment's peace from both, he thought of his family. The Shredder threatened him with death everyday, wanting their location. In his sleep deprived mind, Leonardo reasoned that they thought he was dead. That's why they hadn't come for him. Still, as much as he didn't want to think that way, a part of him felt forgotten. The longer he spent in here, the louder that thought became.

 _A new threat stood before them. Tiger Claw was in front of a new squad of mutants the Shredder had Dr. Stockman cook up._

 _On Tiger Claw's right, a sturdy komodo dragon towered over him, somewhere between 7'5 or 7'8. He was covered in muscles and sky blue scales. Beside his blood red eyes and sharp teeth, his most dangerous features were the long, black claws shooting out of his fingers._

 _On his left, there were two others. One, as Donatello nervously informed them, was a galápagos tortoise. He was taller and bigger than the komodo mutant. Much of his anatomy was like the brothers', with the exception of a much longer neck and a more narrow face. Scars were scattered over his thick black skin. An unusual color for his natural form. His shell had been embedded with sharp metal tips around the edges. A large foot clan symbol was painted in the center. His eyes were ice blue and piercing._

 _The last one in line was mutated from a hawk. He was the smallest of his squad, but looked just as dangerous. Obviously, there was some other kind of bird dna thrown in the mix. His feathers were sort of furry looking. The colors ranged from yellow, red and orange, mixing together to look like he was on fire. He was anthropomorphic like the rest, standing on two thin bird legs and clawed feet. His arms and hands were bare of any feathers. Black talons curled off of his fingers. He had long, beautiful wings spreading out from his shoulder blades. His yellow beak curled slightly at the end, looking sharp enough to rip the flesh right off their bones. His eyes were black with a brilliant shine, like two glass marbles._

 _Donatello began to ramble about what other kinds of species were in his makeup, but Leonardo could see what the Shredder was aiming for. All the foes in front of them were representative of the four devine creatures. The azure dragon of the east, the white tiger of the west, the black tortoise of the north and the vermilion bird of the south. He already had a tiger, even though Tiger Claw wasn't white. Now Leonardo knew why he had taken animals from the zoo. He was trying to send them a message. No matter what, he would hunt them down to all the corners of the earth._

 _The enemy was silent at first, letting the turtles talk amongst themselves. Then Tiger Claw took a step forward and told them the Shredder's objective._

 _"The four of you are coming with us."_

 _Raphael rolled his eyes and twirled his sais. "How many times do we have to beat you before you guys finally give up?" Michelangelo was too busy trying to name their new enemies to added anything, much to his brothers' irritation._

 _"You can tell the Shredder that as long as he lives," Leonardo said, unsheathing his katana. "We will always be a thorn in his side, until the day comes when we defeat him... once and for all!"_

 _Tiger Claw had no more words. He ordered his new team to attack. They went at the brothers head on. Leonardo was practically bulldozed by the tortoise. He barely had time to glance at the others to see how they were doing. They were just as overwhelmed as he was._

 _Trying to put some space between them, Leonardo lashed out with his swords. The tortoise deflected one with his arm and bite the other in two. Taking a step back, Leonardo gazed in horror at what was left of his katana. "Not good." The tortoise spat the end of the blade out on the ground. As it clanged against the roof top, he leaned in closer._

 _"No. Not for you, little turtle," the tortoise said, his voice deep and jagged. "Surrender now and you will have the privilege of dying by the master's hand."_

 _Leonardo tossed his broken katana, glaring at his foe with a fierce fire in his eyes. "No thanks. I'd rather go out fighting along side my brothers." From somewhere nearby, he heard his brothers agree._

 _"Ditto!" shouted Michelangelo._

 _"Same here!" cried Donatello._

 _"What he said!" yelled Raphael._

 _The tortoise spared a chuckle. "As you wish." He slung his arm out, knocking Leonardo across the roof and the other katana out of his hand. His shell collided with Michelangelo's. They tumbled back as the tortoise and the bird moved in._

 _"Mikey, give me a lift," Leonardo said as they got up._

 _His little brother propelled him high above the two with his nunchuck. Flipping backwards, Leonardo landed on the tortoise's shoulder. First, he threw some shuriken at the hawk who went airborne to avoid the attack. The next thing he did was stab a kunai in the tortoise's left eye. A roar of pain rushed out of his long throat. Angry, he grabbed Leonardo's legs and slammed him down. Michelangelo screamed his name, trying to hold off the hawk. Breathless, Leonardo tried to get up. There wasn't enough time. The tortoise grabbed his arm and lifted him off the ground, turning him around to see his face. Growling, the tortoise plucked the kunai out of his eye. "You are more troublesome than I first thought." Then he tried to slash at Leonardo's throat. Fortunately, Leonardo had quick reflexes and kicked the kunai out of his foe's hand. It flew off the roof._

 _Annoyed, he stared at Leonardo for a minute._

 _"feisty little turtle," he grumbled._

 _Still short of breath, Leonardo couldn't spit out a retort, but he did spit in the tortoise's good eye. With the enemy momentarily blinded, Leonardo managed to pry himself free. When he landed on the ground he looked around for his sword, or any other weapon he could use. His katana was on the other side of the roof. It would take too long reach it, but he didn't have anything else to use. His fists alone weren't enough to even tickle this beast's thick hide. Most of his ninja tools were scattered during his flight across the roof. He had already used what he had left._

 _The few seconds he had to think were up. The tortoise extended his long neck and opened his jaw. All Leonardo could do was cross his arms over his face. His right arm was locked in the tortoise's mouth. Blood started flowing from it immediately. Finally able to take in a deep breath, Leonardo released it in a scream._

 _Not knowing how, because he was in too much pain to be paying attention, all his brothers had somehow made their way over to help. Raphael sank his sais into the monster's arm. Donatello broke his bo staff over his hard head. Michelangelo pulled Leonardo away as soon as the tortoise let go. The deep wound wrapped around his arm was pouring blood, but he had to tare his eyes away from it. Squinting in pain, he saw their enemies beginning to surround them._

Dr. Stockman was back. He flew up to the bars, threw a piece of stale bread at him and then left.

Alone, staring at the bread, he realized how hungry he was. At this point in his imprisonment, his pride was all he had left. He didn't want to take what meager scraps they gave him, but he was starving.

The chains on his arms didn't have enough slack for him to reach down, so he had to pick it up with his teeth. Once it was in his mouth, he raised up. Fortunately, there was enough slack for him to use his hands. Now he could eat it like a person instead of the animal he was treated as. There was only enough for a few bites, but it was something. When he finished, he tried to relax, but now he was hungrier than he was before he ate. He wished he could have some of his father's special nabe. He loved pizza as much as the next turtle, but right now he wanted something a little sentimental. Splinter didn't make it often during their childhood, because the ingredients were hard to come by, so it was special.

What was his family doing? Where were they? Were they safe?

 _"They're too strong for us guys," Leonardo admitted, tucking his bleeding arm under the other._

 _"They're tough I guess," Raphael grumbled, raising his fists in defense._

 _"Leo's right Raph, we can't beat these guys," Donatello put in, holding up both halves of his staff._

 _"What's the plan, Leo?" Michelangelo asked._

 _Leonardo sighed. He hated the thought of running just as much as Raphael did, but they were running low on steam. This fight had to be fought another day. "Tactical retreat. We split up, loose them and head home. Call for back up if you run into trouble. Text when you're home." Raphael nudged him with his elbow. "You going to be okay with that arm, Leo?" Sighing again, Leonardo replied, "It's not that bad. Our odds are better if we separate them. Let's go."_

 _"You got it!" Michelangelo shouted, throwing a few smoke bombs down._

 _This provided them with a head start. Each jumped and ran in a different direction, a mutant demon following._

 _Leonardo had the chance to grab his good katana along the way. After he gained some speed, he looked back. His brothers were fading out of sight, far ahead of their shadows. His only had one eye. The tortoise was apparently still angry about it._

 _Jumping through one of the windows, Leonardo tried to lose him in an abandoned apartment building. The glass scratched him up terribly, but he ignored it and kept going. As he was running down stairs, he heard a wall coming down._

 _"Maybe this was a bad idea," he thought regretfully._

 _"Are we playing hide and seek little turtle?!" yelled the tortoise._

 _"Oh man," Leonardo whispered to himself, jumping over the railing to the next set of stairs._

 _He ran through the first open door he came across to avoid making noise. Then he went into the bathroom and opened the window. There was a fire escape on the building directly across from him, but it was far. Looking up, he saw a clothes line. He jumped up and grabbed it. It snapped under his weight of course, but he was able to swing over to the fire escape. To keep from smacking into it, he put out his feet. They took the brunt of the force for the rest of his body._

 _"Ouch!" he hissed, sucking in air through his teeth._

 _Still, he kept moving without missing a beat. Once he made it up to the roof, he ran across to go down the next fire escape. That took him down to an alley between the old pawn shop and the pizza place Michelangelo loved. This was down town, which he was very familiar with. He went down the alley and took a left into another one that came out into a construction site. Hiding behind a dumpster, he stopped to catch his breath._

 _"Did I lose him?" he wondered._

 _His phone vibrated on his belt. Instantly he picked it up. There was a messaged from Michelangelo. He made it home! Putting his phone away, he looked around. To his amazement, the tortoise landed in the alley way, the ground trembling beneath him. "Come out little turtle. You and I have something to settle." Quickly, Leonardo looked around for something he could use as a distraction. The only thing around him were little dirt piles that had blown in from the construction site. Suddenly the dumpster was lifted. The tortoise grinned down at him, the dumpster over his head. "Found you little turtle." Then he moved to crush Leonardo with it. Rolling out of the way, Leonardo snatched some dirt from the ground. He yelled as he threw a handful in his foe's face. He blinded the tortoise again, making him even angrier._

 _Leonardo ran into the construction site and looked around. There had to be something around that could immobilize his opponent for a while. Rubbing his eye, the tortoise walked towards him. As quietly as he could, Leonardo ran behind a huge pile of large steel beams, stacked haphazardly. There was a large bulldozer close by. Blankly staring at it for a moment, an idea began forming in his mind. He'd seen Donatello hot wire a few vehicles before and remembered how. Funny, even though his brother wasn't with him, Donatello was still a big help._

 _He waited and watched. The tortoise, trying to blink the dirt out of his eye, started searching the area. Sniffing the air, he grinned. Then he headed in Leonardo's direction. When he got close enough, Leonardo ran to the bulldozer and jumped in. As he started it up, the tortoise stopped and listened, confused by the noise. Slamming his foot on the gas pedal, Leonardo crashed into the beams. His enemy didn't react in time and was buried._

 _While Leonardo was shakily getting out of the bulldozer, another vibration went off on his belt. Quickly, he checked his phone again. It was Donatello this time. He was home safe and sound! Now all he had to worry about was Raphael. He put it away and looked for any sign of movement under the beams. Two or three lifted slightly, telling Leonardo to get a move on. He was pretty far from the sight when he heard a violent scream of frustration._

He heard someone coming down the hall. It was the Shredder and Dr. Stockman. No, there were more people with them. Raising his head slightly, he watched them come in one by one. Dr. Stockman was first. The Shredder was second. Then Tiger Claw and two of the other mutants on his squad came in. He had come to know them as Taro (the komodo mutant), Eiji (the hawk mutant) and Saburo (the tortoise mutant). Their names were less than creative. The Shredder basically named them One, Two and Three. He wished Michelangelo had had more time to name them. At least some thought would've went into it! Then he noticed one missing. Saburo wasn't there.

Lifting his eyes a little higher, he noticed all of them had bandaged wounds. It felt like it had been weeks since he had seen any of them. What had happened that they needed so much recovery time? Was Saburo severly injured or dead? What had gone on while he was cut off from the world? While their welfare was far from his mind, he was curious. Instead of asking outright, he took a little jab at them. "What's the matter guys? Bite off more than you can chew?" The giant feline snarled, but his master raised his hand.

"Stand down," was his only warning.

Although eager to end the turtle's life, Tiger Claw obeyed.

They took him out beyond the metal bars of his cell, bound by heavy steel cuffs. Even heavier chains weighed his feet down. He was led out into the hall. Small lanterns were hung along the walls between the other cells. They didn't put off much light, but enough to see where you were going. As they walked by the other cells, Leonardo noticed there still weren't any other occupants. He was alone down in this basement prison. It had its pros and cons. Along the way, he remembered what he was most thankful for; not seeing any of his family behind the bars they passed.

On the other side of the iron door the spiraling stairwell awaited. The Shredder always took the elevator. Leonardo was always taken up the stairs. Suppressing a groan, he put one foot in front of the other. If he took too long, his wardens were allowed to beat him. Which didn't make him go any faster, but it motivated him enough to keep moving. His body had been through enough already. If he could avoid a little extra, he tried.

Tiger Claw was a little more merciful than the others, but for selfish reasons only. He preferred to get the process over with as quickly as he could. He was a busy mutant with more important things to do. Whenever Leonardo couldn't force another step, Tiger Claw would hoist him over his shoulder and carry the poor turtle. All the way up until the last ten steps, so his master wouldn't know.

It was almost an hour before they got to the top. Leonardo's weak legs gave out and he fell to the floor. The Shredder had been waiting patiently, but he wouldn't allow the turtle to rest for a moment. "Get him up." Tiger Claw grabbed one arm and Taro took the other. They dragged him to a room where Dr. Stockman was waiting. Although every muscle was burning, Leonardo made himself look up.

There was a perfectly round pool in the center of the room. Its walls were metal and raised above the floor. There were five huge pumps around it. His heart jumped in his throat, but he refused to show it.

He had been dreading this. The Shredder had been known to use many kinds of torture, but there were five types that he liked best. Leonardo was forced to endure them in a regular cycle. He had been through it at least twelve times by now. This was the last before the seemingly endless loop of abuse began yet again.

He kept telling himself not to think about it as they picked him up. He knew he couldn't get away. His body was too weak. He'd never make it to the door. He flinched when his skin touched the cool water. His breaths quickened as he was lowered, both from the chilly temperature and fear.

From inside, he could see the drains at the bottom and the powerful jets all around him. Tora and Eiji removed his cuffs and chained his hands and feet to the walls. His limbs were spread out and held painfully taut. His face was just above the water. The Shredder leaned over him, his eyes burning with the thirst of blood. "Tell me where the rat is and you will be spared this." The resolution to protect was stronger than the inevitable suffering he was faced with. Leonardo didn't move or open his mouth. Instead he looked straight ahead at the ceiling, half hoping he survived and half hoping he didn't. Either way, he wasn't going to give the Shredder what he wanted.

Seeing this, the Shredder raised up and instructed Dr. Stockman to begin. Leonardo took a deep breath and tried to hold it. The water began to rise over his head and swirl around him.

 _He didn't know how long he had been running, but he knew that he was nearing the end of his strength. After keeping constant check, he felt sure that he had lost the enemy. Before going home, he needed a breather. Checking the surroundings carefully, he sat behind the billboard above a restaurant. The food smelled good and made his stomach clench with hunger. He hadn't realized how hungry he was._

 _The last vibration he was expecting set his phone off. He fumbled it out of his belt and squinted at the screen as its light filled his eyes. It was Raphael. He was home and demanding to know where his older brother was. Sensing no one nearby, he let his guard down long enough to reply._ I'm okay. On my way. _Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet to set off for home. Thinking of a warm bath and a twelve hour nap, he lept off of the roof top for the next one._

 _In midair, between both buildings, something suddenly jumped up and snatched his legs. Alarmed, Leonardo looked down. He hadn't lost the enemy after all._

 _Drawing his katana, Leonardo tried to cut the hands around his ankles. He missed but the tortoise let go. They landed in the alley, about five feet apart from each other. Both stared the other down silently. Beginning to feel dizzy, Leonardo absent mindedly rubbed his injured forearm. How did he find me? I was so far ahead of him. A moment later, it clicked. Feeling the blood still dripping from the wound, Leonardo mentally smacked himself. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I left a trail for him to follow!_

 _A moment later, three others dropped in from above, surrounding him. Leonardo looked around. Having lost track of his brothers, Tiger Claw and the rest must have decided to catch up to them._

 _"The master will not be pleased, but having at least one of you is better than none at all," the komodo hissed, flexing his fingers._

 _Leonardo choose to stay silent, trying to figure a way out. The only thing he could think of was a phone call. Surely his sensei could take down these freaks easy. Calling for daddy wasn't something he was proud of, but his father would kill him if he let his pride come before his life._

 _As if on cue, his phone started vibrating. Quickly he answered it, watching his enemies begin to circle him. The caller ID said it was Karai. Her voice was almost frantic._

 _"Leo? Raph said you were on your way but I had to hear it from you. Are you okay? Mike told us you were hurt. Do you need me to come get you?"_

 _Leonardo swallowed hard. "Actually Karai, I could use some help." Tiger Claw snickered. "What's wrong turtle? Can't take us on your own?" Leonardo ignored him, but kept his eyes peeled for the first move. Meanwhile, Karai's worried voice filled his ear. "Was that Tiger Claw?! Where are you?!" Leonardo wasn't able to answer. They came down on him hard and fast. He dropped the phone to defend himself, but he had far too little strength left in him. Within the span of fifteen minutes he was pinned onto the ground, with more wounds and bruises than he'd ever had in his life._

 _Lying on the ground, peering out of his blackening eyes, Leonardo saw his phone a few feet away. It had been smashed sometime during the fight. Tiger Claw picked it up, looked it over and then tossed it aside. "Pity, we could have used it to track the others." One of the others scoffed. "It's no matter. They will come for him anyway." Losing consciousness, Leonardo found comfort in what he said._ That's right, they'll come for me. _While he was being carried off, he blacked out._

* * *

 _~Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 2

_~Author's note._

 _Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews, favs and follows! Here's chapter two._

* * *

A Living Ghost: Divided Spirit

Chapter Two

* * *

The torrent was jerking him violently, but the restraints kept his body from slamming against the sides of the pool. Although, they were wringing the skin off his wrists and ankles. Just when he couldn't hold his breath anymore, feeling as though his lungs would pop, the water began to calm and recede below his face. Gasping for breath, Leonardo tried blinking his eyes into focus.

"Well, Leonardo," the Shredder began, leaning over the edge of the pool. "Do you still refuse?"

Breathing heavily, Leonardo made no response, his eyes narrowed and determined.

"He won't last another round, master." said Dr. Stockman, habitually rubbing his hands together.

The Shredder didn't reply at first. He started for the door, frustrated. As it closed behind him, they heard him say, "We're done for now." At his command, they removed Leonardo from the pool. His entire body trembled uncontrollably as they moved him, grabbing his wrists and dragging him across the floor. He was taken back to his cell, all the way down the stairs.

After they threw him in and secured him back in his chains, Leonardo rolled his head back, staring blankly at his shaking hands. His wrists were raw and oozing dark blood. Mindlessly, he watched as it dripped onto the floor.

Eventually, his memory produced a few comforting images. Closing his eyes, he could see his father tucking him into bed under a heating blanket. _I had gotten lost that day... It was so cold..._

When he and his brothers were very young, they went out to play hide and seek in the sewer tunnels. Somehow, Leonardo had lost track of where he was going. It was in the middle of the coldest winter he could recall. He had spent the entire night trying to find his way back home. Splinter had tracked him down by morning. He had found his son lying on the ground, half conscious and pale with blue lips and fingertips. _Sensei never left my side... The guys were there too..._ The strong emotions the memory gave him were flooding up his throat, but he choked them back down.

Today he felt as he did back then, lost, alone and afraid, but with an intensity that was enough to kill his very soul.

He had just drifted off to sleep when Tiger Claw came back for him. Rough paws jerked him up to his feet. Sarcastically, Tiger Claw said: "Good morning turtle. Sleep well?" Too tired and depressed to respond in kind, Leonardo lifted his wrists, waiting to be cuffed. Seeing him look so lost and defeated, Tiger Claw hesitated. He realized that a part of the turtle was now broken, resigned to suffering and death. He had seen it in many faces over the years, but it looked so out of place on this one. Even though he was the enemy, Tiger Claw couldn't help but admire Leonardo a little. It had taken two and a half months for him to get to this point. He had been so tenacious in the beginning. During the first few weeks, he had tried to escape numerous times. The last time, the Shredder had beaten him almost to death. He wasn't able to move much after that, so the escape attempts stopped.

Although he was weak in body, his mental fortitude hadn't withered away with his physical strength. After all he had been through, Leonardo still wouldn't reveal the location of his family. Tiger Claw could still see it plainly in the boy's eyes. Even though he had given up on living, Leonardo would never give up his family.

As Tiger Claw slammed the cuffs on Leonardo's wrists, he asked, "Why?"

Long deprived of sleep, he barely noticed that Tiger Claw had spoken to him. Tired as he was, Leonardo understood what his warden had meant.

"Do you have a family Tiger Claw?" Leonardo asked, his speech a little slurred.

Surprised he asked, Tiger Claw answered, "I had one when I was a boy. Yes." Leonardo licked his dry lips and raised his red eyes. "What happened to them?"

"After I... _changed_ , they became frightened of me. My parents sold me to a circus owner."

Genuine sympathy transformed Leonardo's expression. "You weren't lucky enough to have a family like mine." Tiger Claw flinched at the turtles words and sad face, realizing he had just opened up to someone for the first time in years.

"I suppose not," he grumbled, shoving Leonardo forward.

As the turtle stumbled out of the cell, his chains rattling around his feet, he replied, "Then you wouldn't understand 'why'."

Up stairs the doctor was waiting with a syringe, a heavy dose of yellowish fluid inside. After Leonardo was strapped to a table, hooked up to tons of monitors, Dr. Stockman called for his master. Soon the Shredder was there, eager.

"What are the chances of this being successful?" he asked, glaring at Leonardo.

"It affected all the subjects differently," the doctor replied. "However, half of them submitted before expiring."

The Shredder grabbed the fly's arm as he neared Leonardo. "This had better work Stockman. We only have one turtle to test this on."

Stockman swallowed nervously under his master's iron grip. Even though he was rattled with fear, his arrogance still filtered through somehow. "I told you a month ago, master. This project could take more than a few weeks. If you had listened to me and given me a large staff to work with, I might have guaranteed results by now." If he wasn't so focused on his vendetta, he would've had given Dr. Stockman a taste of his sword. "So, what you are telling me is that the odds are currently fifty fifty?" Stockman nodded, his hands shaking slightly. The Shredder released the fly's arm and folded his arms tightly over his chest. He looked down at Leonardo, staring straight into his eyes. Leonardo stared back, preparing himself for the worst. He didn't understand what was going on, but he knew his life could end here. He was half sad and half relieved. Dying meant that his torment was almost over, but he'd have to leave his family behind. The Shredder seemed to pick up on this, but it did little to affect his demented mind.

"What is your opinion?" he asked his second in command.

Tiger Claw bowed his head, deep in thought. "We have searched the city for weeks. They could come any day now. Whether the turtle survives or not won't change that. I believe the risk is necessary. We are certainly not at our best yet. An advantage would help us secure victory."

The Shredder looked over Tiger Claw, noting that the wounds were healing, but he was definitely not in fighting condition. Neither was his team.

"Go ahead, Stockman," he ordered.

The scientist nodded and plunged the needle into Leonardo's arm. Shutting his eyes, Leonardo waited for something to happen. He kept his thoughts on his family, remembering their happiest moments, trying to find some comfort in them.

The immediate side effect he suffered was intolerable nausea. After the room spun around a few times, Leonardo threw up his scanty meal from earlier. Everyone in the room watched coldly, disgusted. Feeling too weak to care, Leonardo raised his head. He had just barely missed his feet, his toes splattered with bile. It was a good thing the table had been tilted up.

Slowly, a headache settled in. Every vein in his head started to throb. He began screaming as the pain quickly increased ten fold. A loud ring developed in his ears, drowning out his own voice and all rational thought. Out of desperation to escape, he tried to break the straps holding him down, calling up a strength he had long thought was lost. After several minutes of trying to pull himself free from the table, the pain suddenly died out, leaving him numb. He went limp as a result, loosing command of his body. Beginning to panic at the drastic change of symptoms, he frantically tried to move. The most he could manage was wiggling a few fingers.

With the pain gone, he was now keenly aware of everything around him. The Shredder's face was inches from his own.

"Where is your master hiding?" he asked.

Fear crushed him as Leonardo felt his mouth opening against his will.

"He..." Leonardo began, his voice hoarse. "He is..."

"Tell me!" the Shredder commanded, putting a hand over Leonardo's neck.

"Splinter... The lair is..." Leonardo squeaked, his throat strained under the Shredder's grasp.

 _What am I doing?! What have they done to me?! I've got to do something! Quick!_

With what control he had left, he opened his jaw wide. Everyone around him leaned in closer, anxious to hear what he was going to say. However, Leonardo didn't speak. Instead he literally bit his tongue. A spurt of blood from his self affliction went into one of the Shredder's eyes.

The armoured man stumbled back, holding his face and shouting in frustration. Tiger Claw quickly removed his scarf and handed it to his master. Meanwhile, Stockman was buzzing about Leonardo, prying his mouth open to look at the wound.

"It will heal," Stockman appraised. "But he won't be talking anytime soon."

Wiping the blood from his eye, the Shredder demanded, "Why didn't it work?!"

Flinching, Stockman answered, "I can't say for sure. Perhaps the dose wasn't strong enough."

"Then give him a stronger one!"

Bravely, Tiger Claw put his hand on the Shredder's shoulder. "Master, look." The Shredder turned his eyes to where Tiger Claw pointed. Blood was running down both corners of Leonardo's mouth. His face was burning with rage as he stared down Oroku Saki, the effects of the drug already wearing off.

"He will not be able to speak for quite some time," Tiger Claw said, letting his hand slip away. "We must wait."

"Fine," he replied, clearing his mind. "See to it that he heals. I'm retiring for the night."

Everyone bowed as he left, except Leonardo of course. His vision was growing dark and the voices around him were becoming faint. He let his eyes close and quickly passed out.

While his eyes were still closed, he felt consciousness dragging his weary mind back to the world. Not daring to lift his eye lids, he groaned.

 _Just a few more minutes... I just want to sleep until this is over._

Within the darkness, tiny specks of light appeared. They swelled and transformed into the soft yellow glow of windows. A winter landscape started to fade in around them, and finally the house they belonged to. Startled, he opened his eyes. His heart raced when he found the sight unchanged. He was standing in the drive way leading up to old O'neil farm house.

Fluffy snow flakes began to drift down from above, drawing his attention skyward. One by one, stars popped up in the dark sky, around soft gray clouds. A gold moon blossomed gently into life, with its beautiful light shining down on his surprised face.

His eyes fell back down to the old house. It was covered in a blanket of snow. A steady stream of smoke was curling out of the chimney. Everything he saw looked as though it came straight out of a Christmas card.

Chalking it up to a wonderful dream, he wasn't shocked when every step he took was pain free. He felt stronger and lighter, as if nothing had ever happened. As he came closer to the house, he caught sight of Karai on the front porch, sitting on the swing. Joy washed over his soul as he quickened his pace.

"Karai!" he shouted, running up to her.

Strangely, she didn't seem to hear or notice his approach, eyes glued to her lap. He was so happy to see her, he didn't care. Opening his arms, he went to embrace her. Only, his arms never made contact. They went straight through her.

Confused, he took a step back, staring at his hands. His hands and arms were transparent. He could clearly see the wooden boards of the porch below them. Stretching his arm out from under the roof, he watched the snow fall through it.

"What's going on?" he mumbled, utterly bewildered.

This pleasant dream was quickly turning into a nonsensical mess. A small, muffled sneeze made him look back. Karai was wiping her nose with the back of her hand. As she let her hand fall into her lap, he saw how sad and defeated she looked.

"What are you doing out here?"

Leonardo turned to the front door. April was there, holding two steaming mugs of cocoa. She had a yellow sweat shirt on and thick black jeans with matching fuzzy slippers. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was down, shielding her ears somewhat from the cold. His eyes moved to look at Karai. He hadn't noticed at first, but she looked terrible. Her hair was down as well, mussed up with a serious case of bed head. She had pushed it behind her ears, showing the large, yellowing bruise on her right cheek. There was a long cut above her left eye, stretching from her temple to her hair line. Her skin was pale, making the circles under her eyes look darker than they actually were.

He crouched in front of her, taking in every inch of her. She was wearing a large green t-shirt and loose gray work out pants, their length ending just below her knees. There was a long, deep gash going down her right calf. A lot of black stitches were keeping it closed. It looked like it was almost time for them to come out, which gave him some relief.

That seemed to be the worse of her injuries. She had plenty of other smaller cuts, but they were superficial and had already scabbed over. There were at least five other bruises on her that he could see, but they were fading. She was recovering pretty well, but there was a deep turmoil in her eyes.

"What happened Karai? Who did this to you?" he asked, standing up.

She didn't hear him and pretended not to hear April, who sighed as she walked over to sit beside her mute friend. Handing her a mug, she gave her a feeble warning. "You'll end up pulling your stitches again." Karai raised her eyes to look out over the front yard, choosing to keep any remarks she had to herself.

"You'll catch a cold out here in those clothes," April persisted, leaning back in the swing.

Still, Karai had no answer, sipping her cocoa.

"April? Karai?" Leonardo asked, looking from one girl to the other. "Why can't you guys hear me?"

When no one acknowledged him, he folded his arms and looked in the window behind them. The curtains were closed, but he saw the silhouette of someone passing by.

A second later Mr. O'neil was at the door. He swung it open with a warm smile. "Time to wash up. Dinner is almost ready." April gave him a small smile in return. "Okay, thanks dad." Nodding, he looked over at Karai, disappointed to see her unresponsive. His smile waning, he went back inside, leaving the door open for them. With a grunt, April pushed herself to her feet. Then she offered Karai a hand. Karai shook her head. Then she reached for a pair of crutches leaning against the railing beside her. Leonardo's eyes widened. They were the crutches he had used the last time he was here.

Apparently she had gotten well acquainted with them. She followed April without any problems, keeping her wounded leg off the ground. Wondering what turn this strange dream would take next, he went inside after them, phasing through the door as April was closing it.

It had been a long time since he'd been inside the old house. Nothing had changed. He stayed behind as the girls went in the kitchen, appreciating every detail. Even though he couldn't physically feel it, the warmth of the fire and the people inside touched his spirit.

A pair of familiar voices coming from the stairs soothed his tired mind. Until he saw them. Donatello and Michelangelo were coming down for dinner. They were in the same shape as Karai, wounded but healing. Bruises, cuts and white bandages covered their bodies, but, unlike Karai, they could get around pretty well on their feet. Despite the cast on his left arm, Michelangelo looked upbeat as usual. Although, his cheerful expression wasn't quite as bright as before, lacking the exuberant spark Leonardo remembered so well.

Scratching at the skin under his neck brace, Donatello looked concerned, hardly listening to his little brother's childish ramblings. His eyes glanced at the door before returning to the direction he was walking in.

"Guys?" Leonardo called hopefully, reaching out his hand.

They were both headed straight for him, but didn't see him. His brothers passed through him and into the kitchen.

He stood still for a moment before following them, staring at his hands again. When he looked up, standing under the archway, he saw all but two of their family members around the table. Raphael and Casey were missing.

April, Mr. O'neil and Splinter were busy serving full plates and filling glasses for everyone. Donatello was helping Karai into her chair, both lost in thought. Michelangelo was already seated, shoving his fork inside his cast to scratch his arm. Without even looking, Splinter smacked the boy's hand with a snap of his tail, making Michelangelo yelp. As he dropped his fork, April was already getting him another one. He pouted up at his father. Shaking his head, Splinter patted his son's head saying, "No scratching."

Hearing his father's voice for the first time in a long time, Leonardo fell to his knees. Splinter looked to be in some pain, but was doing far better than everyone else. Under his thick fur, it was impossible to see any bruising he might have. The one notable injury he had was his left hand. It was wrapped from wrist to finger tip in white bandages.

"Father?" Leonardo whispered.

Just like the others, Splinter didn't hear him, but his ears twitched. Then he froze for a moment, giving Leonardo a little hope. "Can you sense me sensei?" Splinter looked around, a little alarmed.

"Has anyone seen Raphael?" he asked.

While he was yet again crushed with disappointment, Leonardo wondered the same thing.

"He's still in the barn," Donatello answered from the window, holding one of the curtains back.

Splinter and Leonardo went over join him. Smoke was coming from the old brick chimney.

"He won't stop until he's finished," Donatello sighed, letting the curtain fall.

"I can take his plate out to him," Michelangelo offered, rising from his chair. "And I won't leave until he finishes!"

Seeing no alternative, Splinter chuckled softly, draping a cloth over Raphael's meal. "Thank you Michelangelo."

Accepting that he was neither seen or heard, Leonardo walked along side Michelangelo on his way to the barn. Staring at his little brother's face, Leonardo tried to soak it in. He didn't know how long he had been imprisoned, but it felt like years. Seeing and hearing his family, even if he couldn't interact with them, was comforting. Although, he couldn't help but wonder. Why had his subconscious so vividly conjured up a dream like this. Why were they all injured? Why in winter? Why at the old farm house? What did it all mean?

Slowly, Michelangelo pushed one of the doors open with his foot. Poking his head inside the barn, he said: "Raph, time to eat."

Leonardo looked over his shoulder inside. Standing beside the raging brick furnace, Raphael had his back to them, beating something on an anvil with a hammer. Red sparks flew out at his sides with each strike.

"Raph?" Michelangelo asked, inching inside.

Suddenly, Raphael cringed, dropping his hammer. A hiss escaped his clenched teeth as his knees hit the floor. Holding his chest, he whispered a vicious curse.

Immediately Leonardo started rushing towards him, but someone beat him to it. He hadn't seen her when he first came in, but a tall beautiful woman had been sitting near his brother. Her ebony hair was long and silky, seemingly moving about her head as if under water. Her skin was almost as white as the snow falling outside. She had the most lovely pair of dark eyes he had ever seen, nearly solid black. She was wearing a shimmering white kimono, billowing about her as if caught in a gentle breeze.

The woman was none other than Tang Shen.

Stopped dead in his tracks, Leonardo watched her run to Raphael's side and kneel down next to him. Her hand hovered just above his skin, moving as if she was stroking his forehead. She murmured soothing words to him that he didn't seem to hear.

As he stood there watching, his jaw dropped open, Michelangelo walked through him, put the plate down on a nearby bale of hay and went to their brother. With his good arm, he pulled Raphael to his feet. Tang Shen rose up and followed as Michelangelo led him to the bale. Raphael went without a fight. He never said a word, even as their little brother sat him down. After setting the plate in his lap, Michelangelo walked back over to the anvil. Picking up the hammer, he started helping with Raphael's project. While he was hard at work, Leonardo turned his eyes to others.

Raphael's chest was wrapped up tightly. Leonardo assumed that he must have either broken or bruised a couple of ribs. There were claw marks going down his neck and right shoulder, obviously Tiger Claw's handiwork.

He sighed shakily, drawing Leonardo's eyes back to his face.

Sadly, Raphael stared at his plate. Tang Shen was urging him to eat. Again, he didn't hear her. Eventually, he looked up at Michelangelo. A small smile crossed his lips. Then he started nibbling at the meal his little brother had brought him.

Relief erased some of the worry on Tang Shen's face. Her voice was so warm and motherly when she whispered, "That's right. We are all here for you my son." He still didn't show any signs of acknowledgment. It was like she wasn't there at all, just like Leonardo.

Curious, he wondered if she would be able to hear him.

"Tang Shen?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Her reaction was immediate. The pair of sparkling dark eyes locked onto him. At first, she was surprised. "Leonardo?"

While he was relieved that someone could hear him, it didn't lessen the shock of sharing the same space with Splinter's late wife. Even for a dream, he couldn't wrap his mind around it.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but he couldn't. For a moment, Tang Shen couldn't either. Tears formed in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Sobbing softly, she got up and ran to him, arms open.

"Leonardo!" she cried.

Unable to move, he just stood there as she embraced him, holding him tightly in her arms. Her soft cheek pressed against his, she said: "It's been so long since I've been able to hold you like this."

For the first time in what felt like forever, someone was holding him, talking to him, with tenderness and affection. Starved for the warmth of his family, he put his arms around her, clutching the satiny fabric of her kimono. Tears streamed down his cheeks unabashed. She held him all the more tightly as his body shook.

"It's alright my son," she whispered. "I'm here."

She stroked the back of his head and let him take as much time as he needed. When he could use his voice again, he said: "I... I don't think I want to wake up." Tang Shen pulled away to look at him, cupping his face in her hands. "Wake up? You think you're dreaming?" Leonardo nodded, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

"You're not dreaming, Leonardo," she said, wiping his tears with her thumbs.

Leonardo was confused. Suddenly, something she said earlier had caught up with him. _It's been so long since I've been able to hold you like this._

"I'm not dreaming?"

She laughed softly, hugging his shoulders with her arm. "Come and sit. I will explain."

* * *

 _~Thanks for reading!_


	6. Chapter 3

~ _Author's note_

 _Sorry for taking so long with the update everyone! Here's chapter three. This one doesn't quite answer all the questions but more answers will be coming in chapter four. Again, sorry for the wait and thank you all for reading._

* * *

A Living Ghost: Divided Spirit

Chapter Three

* * *

Settled next to Raphael, Leonardo leaned against Tang Shen, her arm still around him.

"I have so many questions..." he whispered, staring at his brother.

"Where would you like to start?" she asked.

Leonardo reached for her free hand. While he was grateful to have something (someone) to hold on to, it was strange. He hadn't really noticed at first, but this was different than normal physical contact. There was a sort of tingly feeling to it, reminiscent of a limb falling asleep. It was soft and light too, almost like flower petals brushing his skin.

Squeezing her hand, he asked, "What happened to them? Why are they so hurt?"

Tang Shen hesitated for a few minutes, getting ready to relive the gory events she saw.

"They tried to rescue you. Yoshi put the plan together. The next night, they left for Saki's stronghold." As she began recalling the details, Leonardo turned to look back at her.

 _The sky was filling with dark clouds, lightening streaming across the sky. As the thunder rolled, the shinobi family raced across the roof tops. Splinter was in the lead, his brows furrowed and ears flat._

 _They came to a full halt when their path was blocked by Foot bots. As they stopped, a hundred more surrounded them. The family formed a circle, ready for battle._

 _Thunder clapped above them as Tiger Claw and his squad jumped over the robots. The roof rumbled when they landed._

 _"Splinter," Tiger Claw addressed, raising his sword. "Come with us and the children will go free."_

 _Splinter's movements grew tense, drawing a katana from the sheath strapped to his back. "Leonardo as well?" His sons and daughter glanced at him in alarm. Surely their father wouldn't fall for such an obvious trap._

 _"We'll hold on to him until you meet with our master," Tiger Claw answered._

 _Splinter gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, moving into an offensive stance. "I don't believe you." While Tiger Claw had hoped against a negative answer, Saburo was pleased at a chance to fight his master's arch enemy._

 _"If you are the one who raised such a pitiful warrior," he chuckled with a smug grin. "Then you cannot possibly hope to win this fight."_

 _Splinter didn't respond, refusing to let his emotions cloud his mind. Raphael on the other hand, wasn't about to let that slide._

 _"You don't know who you're talking to!" Raphael spat, trowing a few shuriken._

 _They were headed straight for Saburo's head, but the tortoise ducked. They flew over him and off the building._

 _"Raphael!" Splinter hissed, giving him a warning look._

 _Raphael, blinded by rage, ignored his sensei. "Master Splinter is the greatest ninja of the century!" Yelling wildly, he charged for the giant beast. "And my brother is ten times better than you'll ever be!"_

"They never made it. Tiger Claw and the others went out to meet them in battle. It was terrible."

She gripped Leonardo's hand tighter, closing her eyes. "Raphael... Donatello... Michelangelo... Miwa... They were no match. Yoshi did his best, but he couldn't fight and look out for them. These new mutant soldiers are strong and well trained." She paused, opening her eyes and staring off into space. "There was so much blood everywhere... Especially after Yoshi killed Saburo."

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Sensei killed him?" He remembered his encounter with Saburo vividly. The tortoise was like a tank. It couldn't have been easy.

"Yes... Saburo was boasting about his hunt for you the night before. He had also made the mistake of telling Yoshi that... he would take an eye for an eye. He made so many disgusting threats about what he was going to do to you... I have never seen your father so angry. He was merciless. Saburo's death was brutal."

 _The tortoise was flat on his stomach, lying in a pool of his own blood. Panting, Splinter stood in front of him, hunched over and tucking his hand under his arm. It was still throbbing from the ferocious bite he'd received earlier. Now Saburo's jaw was clamped shut, Splinter's sword pinning his beak to the roof. Pain filled his glazing eyes as he stared the rat down. Even while dying, the tortoise wanted to kill him. As life was fading from Saburo's eyes, Splinter went to retrieve his blade. It took him a moment to work it out of the roof . Once it was free of the concrete, the job was a little easier. The beast below him growled as it he pulled it out._

 _Splinter stumbled back a few steps, staring hatefully at Saburo for a few moments before looking around. As he had hoped, his children were gone. They were most likely half way home by now. He had been afraid that they hadn't left earlier when he had told them to. It would've been impossible to check during the fight._

 _The air was steeped with the scent of their blood. He needed to catch up to them as soon as possible._

 _Something shifted off to his left. He turned his head immediately at the sound._

 _Tiger Claw's unconscious body was being lifted by both Eiji and Taro. In the condition they were in, the two of them put together couldn't fight well enough for one person. Both of them knew it and fled quickly._

 _Splinter wanted to follow, take them down and then their master, but he couldn't. As much as he wanted to rescue and avenge his captured son, his other children desperately needed medical treatment. If he didn't catch up to them, it might be too late._

 _Also, he wasn't physically up to it. The pain radiating off of the broken bones in his hand served as a reminder._

 _Splinter knew he had to leave now. First though, he turned his eyes back to Saburo. The tortious was nearly dead, spending his last few moments glaring at Splinter._

 _"My son took one of your eyes," Splinter said hoarsely, taking a step closer. "I will take the other."_

 _He knelt down and positioned his sword directly in front of Saburo's eye. "The last thing you will see is my blade." He hesitated for a moment, thinking he saw a glimps of his son in the gleam of the blade. His hand shook as he remembered Leonardo's smiling face. "You will not live to make good on your threats against my son. At least I am able to save him of that."_

"He had nearly killed Tiger Claw as well," she said, rubbing her thumb over the back of Leonardo's hand. "He had to be carried away as they retreated. Everyone left the battle very wounded."

Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling.

"Your father hasn't stopped tormenting himself since that night... No one has."

Leonardo let her go and stood up. "There's got to be _something_ I can do." Holding out his hands, he stared at his open palms. "This... This is my spiritual body." Tang Shen smiled proudly, folding her arms. "So you've already figured out that much?" Leonardo curled his fingers into fists, squeezing his eyes shut. "I just don't know how. How did I get here?" Tang Shen got up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Just hours ago, you faced death my son. Such circumstances often bring out a strength that one isn't aware that one has." She put her other hand on his other shoulder and turned him around to face her. "I'm not surprised that your spirit found its way here. After all, when you were very small, you found me."

"What?" Leonardo whispered, his voice strained by surprise.

Tang Shen chuckled, pulling him into a hug. "You were too young to remember, but this isn't the first time your spirit has wandered out of your body." When she stepped back, Leonardo starred at her with wide eyes, sparkling with curiosity. Patting his arms, she sat back down.

"I've been watching over Yoshi since he left Japan," she said, curling a strand of hair around her finger. "I was there the day his life changed forever, and was blessed with four new sons."

She smiled fondly up at Leonardo. "The four of you have no idea how much you've helped your father and I. We were in so much pain until you came along." She looked down at the ground, remembering how small and cute her boys used to be. "One night, about a week after your rebirth, I was so broken hearted..."

 _Splinter gently laid his son amongst the others in their makeshift crib. The crate full of blankets and little turtles was a peaceful sight, warming the father's heart. Carefully, Splinter tucked Leonardo in without waking the others. The baby smiled up at him before closing his eyes._

 _"Sleep well my sons," Splinter whispered._

 _Quietly, he settled down onto the matres beside the crate to sleep himself, hoping he could catch at least a few hours._

 _Unseen and unheard, Tang Shen watched it all, a heavy stone of sorrow in her chest. Longingly, she tried again to caress her husband's face. As always, her hand failed to make contact. Tears drops fell from her chin as she rose to look at the babies. She wanted to hold them, rock them and nurture them. She had claimed them as her own just as easily as her husband had, but they, like her daughter, would never know her voice or see her face._

 _Walking up to the crib, she knelt down and looked inside, her eyes shifting from one sleeping turtle to the next. When her gaze fell on Leonardo, she found the baby opening his eyes. It seemed he was looking straight at her. Reaching up, he began making cooing noises. Wiping her tears away, she smiled at him. "You cannot sleep my little kappa?" She dangled a finger above him playfully, amused by the way he seemed to be grabbing at it._

 _Suddenly, Leonardo's eyes shut and his body went limp as his spirit sat up, partially leaving his body. Paralyzed by the strange sight, she couldn't move, even as Leonardo grasped her finger. Squealing in victory, he used his grip on her to pull himself up to his feet. He let go of her finger to wrap his arms around hers, smiling._

 _"...Leonardo?"_

 _The turtle giggled in response, rubbing his cheek against her sleeve._

 _Trembling, she reached down with her other hand and touched his face. Leonardo leaned into her palm, enjoying her attention._

 _Her eyes welling up again, she gently lifted him up into her arms._

 _"Leonardo, you..."_

 _The small child could only stare at her, because he hadn't learned how to talk yet, but it seemed that he could listen and understand already. His little eyes became sad. He tried to wipe away her tears as they began to fall._

 _Finally, she smiled. "You are amazing my son." Laughing, she hugged him close. He laughed as she sat down and rocked him in her arms._

"We spent every night together like that for nearly a year. While your body slept, your spirit remained awake. I was able to be a mother again for a little while. It was such a beautiful time. I often wish I could relive those days."

 _"Come on Leonardo, you can do it."_

 _The turtle opened his mouth again, trying to pronounce the word._

 _"Fa-Fa... er."_

 _Tang Shen laughed, shaking her head. "No, Leonardo. Try again." She pronounced the word for him again, encouraging him on with a smile. After a while, the little turtle was successful._

 _"Fa-Fa... ther... Father."_

 _"That's it! You did it!"_

 _Floating around him in circle, Tang Shen clapped her hands and praised him. Leonardo was awake and still in his body at this time. While he could still see and hear her, his spirit couldn't rise from his body while he was still awake. In fact, the older the child got, the less he was able to do it._

 _Deep in her heart, Tang Shen knew that this was coming to an end. While it made her sad, she still had hope that one day Leonardo would one day see her again. If he continued down his father's path, learned the way of the shinobi and became a kage, she could hold him and talk to him again._

 _Splinter came into the room as the child was laughing wildly at his mother. Chuckling, he said: "My, you are happy today." He walked up to the boy and picked him up. Feeling playful, Leonardo reached for Splinter's whiskers. Holding his son out beyond his small arms' reach, Splinter laughed. Leonardo whined, still reaching and grabbing the air with his little fingers. "Father!"_

 _Splinter's face went blank. Then he winced as if under harsh sunlight. Tang Shen watched her husband excitedly. When the shock wore off, he asked, "Leonardo? What did you say?" Agitated, Leonardo cried, "Faaatheeer!"_

 _Finally, Splinter smiled. "That's right, Leonardo! I am your father." Cradling his son in one arm, Splinter offered his finger as a substitute for his whiskers. Happily, Leonardo accepted and wrapped his hands around it._

 _Tang Shen looked over her husband's shoulder at their son, cooing at him._

 _"I believe you've made your father's day, Leonardo," she said, smiling._

 _Turning to look at her husband, only a few inches from his face, she began memorizing every detail of his happy expression. Wishing she could share this moment with him, she gently kissed the air just over his cheek._

"Before I knew it, you were growing up and lost the ability to see spirits. Although, I've always hoped that one day we could sit and talk like this... but I always imagined it under better circumstances..."

Sadly, she looked back at him with a fragile, sad smile. "I'm sorry this happened Leonardo."

Her son could only stare back, trying to absorb everything she just told him.

"What you are doing right now is called the invisible shadow. It is one of many high level jutsu perfected by the ancient masters, like the healing hands."

"Invisible shadow?" he mumbled, unable to fully articulate any of his questions.

"It was developed as a spying technique," Tang Shen answered. "Only those who have a great understanding and control of their chakras can do this."

"But... When I use the healing hands, I need the mantra sensei taught me. I wasn't doing it before I came here."

"The nine seals are used as a tool to help you build up your chakras. A true master doesn't require it."

Leonardo dropped back into his seat, letting his head fall into his hands as he tried to process all the information.

"As I said before Leonardo, you nearly died tonight. A lot of strong emotions awakened your spiritual power. Your love for your family is what brought you here."

Rising up from his slump, he leaned against her, resting his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, offering the warm comfort only a mother can. Leonardo couldn't remember the last time he felt so at peace.

"I'm glad you're here mom."

He didn't realize he had called her that. It just fell out of his mouth naturally, as if he'd been calling her 'mom' all his life. Bittersweet tears began to fill her eyes.

Squeezing him tighter, she replied, "I will always be here for you my son."

The barn doors opened, letting in the chilling December wind. Donatello came in with it. In passing, he gave Raphael a small smile and a nod. His brother returned it. Then he took over for Michelangelo at the anvil, taking the hammer from his hands. As Donatello got to work, Michelangelo found his way over to Raphael and sat down at his feet.

"How do you think he's holding up?" he asked both of his brothers.

Everyone knew who he was referring to. At first, no one answered. This was discouraging for both Michelangelo and Leonardo. Finally, after about ten minutes, Raphael said the words they needed to hear. "He's okay, Mikey. We're going to get him back. He's just gotta hang in there a bit longer." Wiping his runny nose on his good arm, Michelangelo nodded.

Leonardo was only comforted by his brother's confidence for a moment.

"I hate to say it, but I don't have that long."

He tried to lay a hand on Raphael's shoulder, but it fell through.

"I don't know how they did it," Leonardo said, swallowing hard. "But they found a way to get information out of me. I've managed to buy myself a little time, but that's all I have left. Once they get what they need, the Shredder will kill me, and then he's going to come after them."

Tang Shen cupped his face and turned it towards her.

"We will find a way, Leonardo. You're not going to die."

Forcing himself to smile, he replied, "Not by the Shredder's hands at least."

Tang Shen paled at his words. "You mustn't do that Leonardo. If you die... It would kill us all."

"If I don't do something soon, they'll have to face the Shredder and his army before they're ready."

Slowly releasing him, she shook her head. "No. There is always more than one way to solve a problem... I think there is something I can teach you that will help."

"What's that?" Leonardo asked.

Smirking, she answered, "The body splitting jutsu." Before Leonardo could ask anymore questions, she said: "Your father has been trying to learn this jutsu for many years. I've been watching him all this time. I can help you with the basics, but the rest will be up to you." She stood up and offered her hand. "As you said, we don't have much time. Are you ready to get started?" Without a second thought, Leonardo took her hand. "I'm ready."

* * *

~ Thanks for reading!


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